Sacrifices
by JoeyJoBobJunior
Summary: COMPLETE! Nick's first visit to Bunny Burrow turns out much different than expected. Overpopulation brings monsters to the burrow. What starts as paradise turns into a nightmare that will destroy Nick and Judy's relationship and change their lives forever. It's "Feeding Day" and the hawks are out! Rated M for brutal violence in later chapters, language and adult conversations.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: The Following story is part of the current "Big Cheese" Saga, but is also standalone. I'll fill in everything that happened in the past during the course of the story so everyone is caught up.**

 _ **Cry! Scream! Run! Shout!**_

 _ **It's feeding day! The Hawks are out!**_

 _ **Mark an "X" upon the floor.**_

 _ **Your weakest ones shall be no more!**_

 _ **Hide your wife! Hide your kits!**_

 _ **Or with talons, their throats be slit!**_

 _ **They'll eat your flesh. Your blood they'll savor.**_

… _ **.And say they're doing you a favor.**_

 **Chapter 1: Beginning at the End**

 **Tuesday Morning, October 27, 10:15am**

Chief Bogo's office was dimly lit. Not for dramatic effect, but just because all but one of his lights was working. That light was aiming right down on fox officer Nick Wilde, sitting in the overly large chair. It's as if a spotlight was made just for him. He sat there with no partner, alone. His fur was ragged and he smelled poorly due to not having a shower in two days. He sat fully on the chair with his arms wrapped around his knees, hugging them for some form of comfort. He wasn't looking at Bogo. He looked at the floor, thinking of the past three days. One was wonderful up until the evening and the other two...well... we'll let him describe it.

"You look like crap Wilde." Bogo said, pulling no punches.

"I feel like crap sir." The fox replied back.

"I can't believe what you're asking of me." He looked over the paperwork. "You and Judy wish to be assigned new partners?"

"Yes sir, effective immediately." He said with a somber tone. "Also..." He closed his eyes and a few tears ran. "Also, I-I recommend Judy Hopps be relieved of her duties. I believe she is no longer mentally fit to do her job to the letter."

Bogo fell back into his chair, shocked beyond belief. "...Why?...Why on EARTH would you, of all people believe that?!"

"She...she murdered someone." Nick held himself tighter. "Right "SNIFF!' right in front of some children!"

Bogo's jaw was opened and his bottom lip was trembling. "...I don't believe you! I'm...I'm sorry Wilde, but I can't believe that!"

"We had the suspect cuffed. He walked, NOT RAN, WALKED over to her and she called it a threat and shot him dead with her dad's rifle in front of his nieces and nephews! She did it purely out of vengeance! Trust me though, she'll call it 'self defense' and probably get off scott free!"

Bogo rubbed his face and chin. This news was hitting him like a freight train. "Where is officer Hopps now?"

"She reluctantly is doing what I begged of her and getting herself mentally evaluated. As bad as my weekend was, hers was five times worse." Nick dipped his head into his lap and sobbed. "She...she HATES me! I proposed to her and she said I wasn't good enough! I had a holiday named after me and that's not good enough?! That...that ROACH!"

Bogo got on the com. "Clawhauser! I want you up here with donuts and a LARGE pot of coffee! Also, cancel all of my afternoon appointments!"

Bogo got up from his desk and walked around to the front of Nick's chair. He sat down on the floor in front of Nick so he was eye level with him. Nick was still sobbing and Bogo rubbed his back gently.

"Take it easy. Nick, we have all afternoon. I want you to take your time and tell me everything. How did it come to this?!"

Clawhauser came with the coffee and gave Nick a cup. If lifted his spirits a bit and he sat up. "Overpopulation sir. Overpopulation and utter greed which let monsters into Bunny Burrow. I've got a tale to tell you. It's not the WORST ending. I have 3 wonderful, but challenging children and Miss Hopps has one herself, but it is horrifying at times and my life may never be the same after this. I'll have nightmares for years!"

"It started on the train there and the surprise reception I got from the family..."

 **Saturday Morning, 7:30am**

Nick and Judy were sitting near the back of the train on their way to Bunny Burrow. They wanted some space to be alone so they could talk in private and not have any onlookers bothering them if they wanted to get a little affectionate.

The night before, they DID get affectionate. They had a wonderful time bowling with their friends. Clawhauser and Fangmeyer finally got over their shyness and became a couple, Wolford found out his wife was pregnant and they made Fangmeyer godmother to the cubs. Also, after Little Rodentia declared it "Nick Wilde Day" in their tiny city, Nick Wilde felt like he was a great enough fox to no longer care what other people thought about him and Judy and he finally broke the friend zone with a passionate kiss in front of his co-workers. They then confirmed it back at their apartment with some passionate love-making before finally going to sleep.

Judy yawned. "I only got about four hours sleep. That lousy, stiff mattress!"

"That WONDERFUL, stiff mattress!" Nick replied back. It was the fault of the mattress that allowed him to get lucky that night.

Judy giggled. "It wasn't ONLY thing that was stiff!"

Nick's ears blushed red and he smiled. He was concerned though. "I hope I didn't hurt you any. I know I'm quite a bit larger than you and I imagine 'Little Nicky' is quite a bit bigger than any bunny you've had."

"Oh no! I'm fine! And...yes! Definitely the biggest!...Well...Second biggest."

Nick ears drooped in depression. Judy tried to cheer him up.

"It was a very close second! It was a bodybuilder named "Yohan" and to be honest, he took pills and a pump to get there. That was back in my early college years."

"Yohan?" Nick asked.

"Let me guess." Judy said. "You want to bring up who I've been with?"

"It's going to come up sooner or later."

"Well, let me think.." Judy gave it some thought. "Well, I wasn't serious with Yohan. It was a one time thing. My teenage years tho, WOW!"

"I...don't think I wanna know." Nick said. "I mean, I'm understanding. You are a bunny and...that's kinda what they do."

"Well, not me so much. I was very careful not to get pregnant. I actually went against my religion because of it. Not too many bunnies use protection because it's considered a sin. The Book of Bunny specifically states 'The seed shall not be spilled'."

"Well that's a bit graphic for religious text." Nick said. "Also a bit irresponsible to teach. No offense."

"None taken." Judy replied. "Anyway, I was VERY focused on graduating and making my way into the ZPD academy so, you were my first in about six years. How about you?"

Nick pondered for a moment. "You were my third, but the only good one...I think."

"You think?"

"Well, now, don't get mad, but the first one was when I was sixteen. It was Honey."

"Finnick's badger girlfriend?!"

"Nick shook his head. "She's no one's girlfriend. 'SIGH!' She has bad self-esteem issues. It was just mating, not making love that's for sure. She wouldn't let me kiss her and I couldn't look her in the face during it. Those were her rules."

"That sounds awful!" Judy replied.

"She thinks of it as just a biological urge that needs to be over and done with. Like taking a dump. Personally, I think she hates herself and doesn't think she's beautiful enough to be loved. It turned me off to mating for a long, long time. I doubt her and Finn are an item now. Just 'friends with benefits'."

"And the second?..." Judy asked.

"It was a vixen according to Finn. My own kind for a change." He rubbed his head and laughed. "But I was too drunk to remember any of it!"

"I don't see how that's funny." Judy replied.

"It's not...It was six years ago on the anniversary of my father dying in jail. It's always the most depressing day of the year for me. We went to a more seedy bar and he hired some escorts. I was so wasted that I don't remember a bit of it. He told me all about it the next day."

"Well that's lousy!" She said. "Y'know, in an odd way, I really was your first!"

Nick smiled. "Yeah. Well you were certainly the best!" He leaned in an kissed her. The kiss went on a long while. Then someone in the back made a comment.

"Disgusting!"

Nick and Judy looked up. It was a snow leopard and he was staring a hole right through them.

Nick just looked at him. "You're attitude? Yeah. It is disgusting!"

The leopard got up and started walking towards them in a threatening manner. "You think you're funny little man?!"

Judy and Nick whipped out their wallets and flashed their badges. "Nah-Ah-Aaah! I think you better sit back down." Judy said.

The leopard turned around and sat back down. Grumbling to himself.

Judy then saw an excited young otter who saw her badge. She was making grunt sounds at her parents and making the sign for "police". Judy knew right away she was deaf.

Nick was watching her interact with the deaf child. He was amazed when Judy started signing herself.

Judy motioned her hands. "Hello...my...name...is...Judy...I...am...a...police...woman."

The little otter's eyes lit up she started doing sign language back. "You...can...sign?"

"Yes...I...have..a...little...brother...who...is...like...you!"

Nick just watched as the sign language went back and forth. He was amazed. When they were finished, the little girl gave Judy a big hug and ran back to her parents.

"Wow Fluff! You're just full of surprises! I didn't know you could sign!"

"Well..." Judy replied. "I have a baby brother who is deaf. His name's Jimmy. We all learned sign language just for him. He must about six or seven now."

"Well that's wonderful! You'll have to teach me sometime."

Nick then heard his phone make a tone. Someone left him a message on Furbook. He pulled it out and looked at it. It was Clawhauser. "Have you seen this commercial? Judy didn't tell me her dad was famous!"

Nick tapped the link to the commercial. He couldn't believe his eyes. He paused the commercial so Judy could see.

Judy's dad Stu was front and center of the commercial. "Hello friends! It's your old pal, Uncle Stu here at Hopps farms! We've got the best pies in the whole United Plains and we're bringing them to your grocery store! We got blueberry, strawberry, blackberry, cranberry, apple, peach and many more!"

"'He had me at 'blueberry'" Nick said. Judy shushed him.

The commercial kept playing. Stu is walking through a kitchen and we see some chefs in the background including a fox. Stu continued talking. "Our chefs use the freshest ingredients straight from our farms, including the highest quality milk, butter and eggs!"

There then was a shot of the entire family with the farm way in the back. The family looked so large you'd think they were throwing a concert. "So from our family to yours, hop to your local grocer's freezer and try Hopps Farms pies today!"

Nick put his phone back in his pocket! "That's great Carrots! Your dad's pies are delicious! Now I can get them anywhere instead of waiting on your mom to deliver some! Also, who was that fox in the background?"

Judy looked mad. "That was Gideon Gray. I told you all about him. He's the one who bakes these pies in the first place! Why is my dad taking all the credit?!"

"It makes sense." Nick said. "Who's face would you rather have slapped on a pie? A predator or an adorable bunny?"

"Did you just call my dad 'adorable'?"

"All bunnies are adorable in their own way Fluff."

They then passed into the Bunny Burrow city limits. The sign came up saying "Welcome to Bunny Burrow! Population: 346,247,389"

Judy was shocked. "It...it was at 81 million when I left home!"

Nick look concerned. "Can...can your little Podunk town possibly handle that many people?!"

"I...don't think so!...What's going on?!"

"Do the math Carrots! Your family currently has over 300 members. Assuming even half of those are female, they go off and have 300 and so on and so on with no predators eating your kind to keep the population down anymore." Nick looked concerned. "The environment can't handle that much consumption. It has to stop!"

"You're right." Judy said. "Just wish I could figure out how."

They decided it was best not to think about it for at least awhile. "Well, we're almost here!" Judy said excitedly.

"Yay." Nick said with a ton of sarcasm.

Judy rubbed Nick's arm. "Oh come on Red! I'm sure they'll love you!"

"Be realistic Carrots. It's not gonna be like Little Rodentia yesterday where I had a large banner made for me with my name and face plastered over it. I'm gonna be tip-toeing through a minefield all three days!"

The train slowed down and Nick and Judy looked through the window. Their faces were in shock.

"You were saying?.." Judy said.

"Oh..." Nick said.

"..Em..." Judy replied.

"Goodness!" They both said together.

There it was. Half of Judy's family all out in celebration. Bonnie and Stu were front and center with Stu having a smile on him a mile wide.

But the biggest shock was the banner. It was fifty feet long and on it said "WELCOME NICK WILDE" in giant letters. The right side said "and Judy too" in much smaller letters and what looked like a rush job afterthought.

"Pinch me Carrots!" Nick asked. "I must be dreaming!"

Judy obliged.

"Ow...ow...ow...OW! OKAY! YOU CAN STOP NOW!"

 **Next Chapter: Farm Life**


	2. Chapter 2: Welcome to the Family

Chapter 2: Welcome to The Family

"There he is!" Stu excitedly pointed out Nick who was walking off the train. The rabbits all rushed excitedly over. Nick didn't know what to think and started backing off a bit in fear. The younger bunnies started to hug him tightly around the legs.

Stu came over with a huge smile on his face and shook Nick's hand excitedly. "Officer Nick Wilde as I live and breathe! Welcome to the family, son!"

Nick didn't know what to think. He thought his first encounter with the family was going to be an awkward disaster and he'd have to prove himself to them just to not be feared. Instead Judy's family welcomed him with opened arms like he was some great celebrity.

Stu continued. "When our little girl told my Bonnie that her partner was a fox, she screamed with joy!"

"Oh, it that the kind of scream it was?" He remembered during the haunted convenience store case that he grabbed Judy's phone from her to talk to Bonnie and forced Judy to confess her partner was a fox. At the time all he could hear was a scream from the other side when Judy finally told her the truth. The fact that Judy took over a year to tell them about Nick still stuck in his gut.

"Yes sir! You'll find our attitude towards foxes has changed greatly in Bunny Burrow over the past year. We're so grateful for you protecting our little Jude! By the way, are you two a...y'know.. item?" Stu winked at Nick.

Nick got real nervous. "W-what?! N-no! No sir! We're very close but strictly platonic! Heh-heh! Yeah! She's like a sister to me!"

Stu's ears drooped and he looked disappointed. "Awww really? That's too bad!" He then got his smile back. "Well, in that case, I'll just have to set you up with one of my other daughters! Maybe two!"

Nick's eyes bulged out of his skull. "WHAT?! No! No sir, that's perfectly fine but thank you!"

Stu looked upset. "What?! My families not good enough for you?! You're not attracted to bunnies or something?!"

"No! No! No! I love bunnies! It's just...it's complicated."

Stu puzzled it over. "Oooooh! I get it now! You're gay!"

"...What?"

Judy tried to interfere. "No dad, it's not that at all! It's..."

"I makes perfect sense!" Stu said. "He's your best friend and nothing more despite working with you an entire year. What other answer is there?"

Nick was looking for a way out of Stu pushing his family on him and thought that maybe this would work. "You got me! I'm gay! Heh! Me likey 'da weenie! Yes sir!"

"Well that's just fine!" Stu said cheerfully. "Explains your fashion sense too!"

"HEY! Actually, I'm okay with that. Gay people tend to have great fashion sense."

"Well don't you worry Nick! About ten out of my 138 sons are gay and they'd love a big, handsome fox like you! In fact, my eldest one is about your age, fairly tall and hung like a-"

Nick couldn't take any more. "ENOUGH! I GIVE UP! Look sir! I appreciate you...whoring your offspring to me, but I lied!...Me and Judy have been in a relationship since the bowling game last night. We just didn't want you to find out! I thought you hated foxes! I mean...you have a fox-tazer!"

Stu was stunned. "Did you two...mate yet?"

Nick looked at him. "I don't 'mate' sir, I make love, and ummmmm...yes. Y'know the little ones hugging my legs really shouldn't be hearing this kind of talk!"

There was a long pause, then everyone cheered. Stu hugged Nick tightly. "This is wonderful! Bonnie! Set up a date and time with Judy! We got a wedding to plan!"

"WHAT?!" Nick and Judy said together.

"Well of course!" Stu said excitedly. "There's no way we're not getting Nick into our family now! But don't worry you two, it won't be right away. We'll make plans for a few weeks in advance! Now come with me Nick! I want to show you my factory and I want you to meet someone I know you'll be best friends with instantly!"

Stu and several family members dragged Nick away to the families old pickup truck while Bonnie and Judy with some of the sisters walked off together to another car.

"I should warn you dear.." Bonnie said." A lot of things have changed since the last time you were here. I'm afraid...I've left a lot of things out of our conversations."

"Well, I just want to get home and eat some fresh, farm-raised carrots!" Judy replied.

Bonnie looked down and had a somber tone. "I-I'm afraid we don't do that anymore dear."

"WHAT?!" Judy shouted. "MOM! We're carrot farmers! Carrots is our main source of income!"

"Not any more." Bonnie replied. "Because we have so many people now, the water from the river is running low. Low enough that we simply can't farm like we used to, which is a shame since carrots are in great demand and there's simply no supply anymore. There's too many people using too many resources! But thankfully, there is a solution!..."

Stu continued the conversation over at his truck while talking to Nick. "...and that solution is my future son-in-law, Gideon Grey! Thanks to his pie-making know how, we went from farming to manufacturing the tastiest pies in the United Plains! Now I merely farm berries and eggs and import the fruit and butter! This lowers the amount of water we need to use and the rest is a well-oiled machine!"

Stu turned around and pointed at himself. "And now...you're looking at the CEO and owner of 'Stu's Farms' and the richest rabbit in all of Bunny Burrow! This gives me a lot of power and influence in this town. In fact, once I realized how business savvy foxes were, I talked to my good friend, mayor Bucktooth and we came up with the 'fox initiative'!"

"'Fox initiative'?" Nick asked.

"It's a tax break for foxes who wish to move from Vulpesberg to here and are encouraged to date other bunnies. It's not just for the economy. As you may be aware, we are facing a crisis of overpopulation. Foxes and bunnies can't reproduce, so it's a win-win for both sides!"

Nick's eyes opened wide. A huge smile went across his face. "That's the best idea I ever heard! I love it! Sir, this could be a shining beacon for peace between predator and prey! Thank you."

Stu laughed. "Ha! Your welcome! I'll have Gideon take you into town later and you can see some of the changes."

Judy Bonnie and the sisters arrived at the car to take them home.

"It's a limousine!" Judy shouted.

"Oh yes!" Bonnie informed her daughter. Your dad's pie business is so successful that we're the richest bunnies in town. Come, have a seat!" Judy, Bonnie and some of the other fairly all crammed in the limo.

On the way home Judy decided to chat some more. "It's sad to hear about great grandad. He was really up there though I mean, I hope I could live to 105 myself!"

"Yes." Bonnie said. "...Sadly, he wasn't the only of your grandparents to pass away this year. Stu's parents passed away 3 months ago."

Judy was shocked. "David and Belle?! No. I really loved them! How come you didn't tell me?"

"You've been so busy with work dear. I didn't want to add anything to make you sad or drag you down. It was so sudden. A boating accident."

"Hunh. Right."Judy's sister Jackie huffed.

"What?" asked Judy.

Bonnie interrupted. "N-nothing dear!"

Then, Judy's ears perked up and she remembered something. "Oh Mom!I can't wait to talk to Jimmy! I met a deaf child on the train station just like him. I signed to her for awhile. I wanna tell him about it!"

Bonnie looked real nervous. "OH! Oh, ummm...Jimmy is out of state visiting Aunt Bailey. He really loves her so it's kind of a vacation for him. Say! Why don't I take you into town with me and we can do a little shopping?! We'll bring Julie and she can tell you all about her fiance'!"

"Sounds good." Judy said.

Meanwhile, Stu, Nick and some of the sons arrive to the farm/factory from the pickup truck. Stu reaches up and puts his hand on Nick's lower back as he brings him into the factory. "Now here's where the magic happens!"

"Really?" Nick replies. "Cuz I know a few card tricks. I could pull some rabbits out of a hat, but we'd need a HUGE hat for all the sons you have."

Stu leads him through a giant greenhouse. "Now this is where we grow our berries. As you can see, it reaches out for what seems like miles! However, it's necessary to make sure we have enough berries for the massive about of pies we make. We also, spray lightly and recycle the water we use on the berries to conserve as much water as possible. Pretty impressive hunh Nick?...Nick?"

Stu finds Nick munching on some blueberries he's plucking right off the bushes. "Hey!" shouts Stu! "Those haven't been washed yet! They got bug poison on 'em! You'll get sick!"

Nick looked down at the berries, then back at Stu, then back at the berries. "Meh." He shrugged his shoulders and ate a handful more.

"PLEASE don't snack on the raw berries! If you want, I'll get you a pie at the end of the tour."

Excited over the news, Nick rushed over to Stu's side. "Well, let's not keep me waiting! Proceed onward good sir!"

They stopped through a large hen house. The chickens were all cackling and gossiping back and fourth at one another while texting on their smartphones.

"Lookout ladies!" There's a fox in the hen house!" Stu joked.

The chickens just rolled their eyes. "UGH! Gideon makes that same stupid joke every time!"

Stu continues the tour. "This here's the largest hen house in the entire world! We house 1,000 hens here. They work 9-6 and we have low rent apartments for them to live in nearby. We give our hens the best of care!"

Nick listened in as the chickens were gossiping. "So I says ta Mabel, I says "'dat Harold ain't the cock of the walk ya know? He ain't cock of nothin'."

"Is 'dat right?" The other chicken says."I've hoid Mabel's been seein' 'dis other rooster on the side!"

Nick decided to have a little fun. He whispered to one of the chickens. "I hear Stu's bald under his cap! Pass it on." He then left. The gossip got around so fast it reached all the chickens before Stu left the hen house.

"Well goodbye ladies!" Stu said. "C'mon Nick! I'll show you the main part of the factory!"

"Bye Stu!" Said the chickens. "Be sure to keep that cap on tight! CAAW-HAWWHAWWHAWW! The chickens all cackled.

"What's got into them?" Stu thought. "Anyway, let me show you the plant!"

"I thought you just showed me a bunch of plants in the greenhouse?" Nick said with a sly grin.

Stu gave Nick a dirty look. "...Are you always this much of a smart ass?"

"Yes I am." Nick replied. "Twenty-Four Seven. Doctors say it's incurable."

Stu sighed. "Anyway, here's where our factory workers mix the flour, eggs and butter together to make the dough that goes into our delicious pies! It's mostly automated, but as you can see, we have some loyal workers on the conveyor belt."

Nick sees a rabbit laying the dough in the pie pan and making the little dents on top.

Nick patted the worker on the back. "You're doing a fantastic job there!"

The rabbit looked up. Trembling with dark circles under his eyes. "Th-Thank you! I'm on 20 hours overtime! I haven't seen my wife in five days!"

An ewe whispered to another worker. "I'm sick of this unfair treatment! We need to organize a union!"

Thanks to Stu's keen sense of hearing, he managed to hear the dirtiest word a millionaire employer could hear. "UNION?! UNION SPEAK!"

Stu ran over, broke a glass box and slammed down on a large red button. Bars dropped and locked everyone inside while blaring red light spun around and a large electronic voice loomed overhead.

" _WARNING! UNION SPEAK! WARNING! UNION SPEAK! EMERGENCY SHUTDOWN IN PROGRESS!"_

Stu looked at the workers. "Alright! Who said it?! I heard the 'U' word?!"

The workers got scared. "It wasn't me! It was him!"

"No! It was Ewe!"

"Me?" Stu asked.

"No! Not you, Ewe! Ewe the ewe! Ewe said it!"

"No I didn't!" Stu said.

"I know, you didn't, sir! Ewe did!"

"Third base!" Shouted Nick.

Stu was even more confused. "...What? Okay that's it! Everyone on the floor is fired! Security, escort them out. We'll get new employees tomorrow."

Stu looked over at Nick. "That's the one GOOD thing about overpopulation Nick, I can replace workers in less than 24 hours!" He then leans in and whispers to Nick with a smile. "..and I usually fire them before the health benefits kick in anyway!"

Nick backed off a sec. "Wow! Ummm...no offense sir, but...you're kind of a dick!"

"Thank you Nick!" Stu said proudly. "You HAVE to be in this cutthroat business world."

"Awww! Did someone use the 'U' word again sir?" said a voice coming in from behind. It was Gideon Grey. The pudgy fox had a face that conveyed that of a naive, but sweet simpleton. He had a business suit on, but was wearing a pink apron over it that said "kiss the chef" and was wearing a chef's hat as well.

Stu was upset with him. "Gideon, would you stop wearing that ridiculous outfit?!"

"Nuthin' doin sir! The dough's made here and the oven's over thar in the next room. That makes this the kitchen! And even if we don't quite make the pies like mah momma used to, Ah'm still the head chef here and I'll look the part!"

Stu shrugged his shoulder's and no longer cared. "Fine! Fine! Nick Wilde? This is Gideon Grey. Vice president of the company."

"And head chef." Gideon added.

Stu just rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I'll leave him in your care. Oh, and Gideon?" Stu moved Gideon away from Nick for second so he could whisper to him in private. "Do NOT mention 'Feeding Day' under any circumstances! Got it?"Stu then walked away.

"Yassir! Understood." Gideon whispered back. He then walked over to Nick and shook his hand.

"Gideon Grey! Nice to see another fox on the premises! Judy done told me ya'll are a big fan 'o my pies!"

"The biggest!" Nick said back. He then glared at Gideon."Judy also told me you were the one who gave her those scars on her face. You can still see them when she pulls her fur back."

Gideon's ears drooped, his lips trembled and tears started to come down. "I-I'm sorry! I was a terrible kid back then. TERRIBLE! I was a monster-her-errrr! BAWW-HAWW-HAWW!"

Gideon was starting bawl uncontrollably. Nick realized his mistake and was trying to correct it. "Woah! Hold up Gideon! I was just kidding! She forgave you a long time ago! I'm sorry! Calm down!" He gave the fat fox a small hug.

"Ah'm sorry about that!" Gideon said, wiping some tears away. "I can git a might sensitive. I think about the sins 'o mah past and realized wut a dang jerk I was. Just makes me 'sob sumethin' awful!"

Nick stopped hugging him and patted his shoulders. "It's a bit overkill, but a good man regrets his past sins."

"Thank ya kindly." Gideon said back. "Ah think Ah'm makin' up fer it, now. Bein' part of her family and marryin' her older sister. Ooh! Ah got a good pitcher of her in mah wallet here! Take a gander at mah beautiful angel."

He showed Nick the picture of him and his fiancee together. She was tall for a bunny. Her head reached the top of his neck. She was chubby and very plain, like him. Not the most attractive bunny but together, you could see that it worked. The look on their faces showed that they were very much in love.

"You two look wonderful together." Nick said.

"Thank ya kindly!" Gideon replied. "Ah reckon we best be gettin' goin'! We'll take the pickup inta town and Ah'll so ya the sights!"

They started to walk away from the factory. Nick talked to Gideon about Stu.

"You've known Stu for a long time now. Is he always like this? What's he really like?"

"He around?" Stu asked.

"No, he went back the the farm house." Nick replied back.

Gideon whispered into Nick's ear. "...He's a dick."

"And he didn't give me my pie." Nick added.

 **Next Chapter: Nick in Paradise**


	3. Chapter 3: Carrot Chaos

Chapter 3: Carrot Chaos

Judy, her mother Bonnie and her older Sister Julie were walking around downtown Bunny Burrow. Judy couldn't believe how busy the streets were. Everyone was packed shoulder to shoulder everywhere they went. She was also surprised to see a small amount of foxes and vixens out and about with the bunnies. They were not hard to spot since most of them stood about a head tall of the others.

Bonnie saw that Judy was looking surprised. "That's due to the 'fox initiative' dear!" Your dad and the mayor came up with the idea to help put a damper on the overpopulation problem we're having."

"Overpopulation?" Judy replied. "I don't know what you're talking about! Why, this is the slowest I've seen Cottontail lane. And by slow, I mean...THIS IS INSANE!" I can barely breathe!"

Bonnie tried to console her. "We're doing all we can to curb this problem dear, but I'll admit. Things are pretty bad. Produce is at an all time low and what we import is getting super pricey. Now, it's go inside Lagomart and get some groceries!"

They went into the store and it was almost as busy as it was outside. "Looks like a slow day today." Julie remarked.

"Slow?!" Judy replied. "I haven't seen it this busy on Black Friday!"

"Well, at least they do good business here." Bonnie said.

"Too good." Judy said looking around the produce section. "Where's the food? Mom! We're vegetarians!"

"There's plenty of frozen foods available!" Bonnie argued.

"I come back here to get away from frozen foods! I want fresh vegetables and carrots!"

"Well, good luck with that!" Julie replied.

Just then, they heard a scream come from near the back of the grocery section.

"THEY JUST GOT A PALLET OF CARROTS IN!"

Bonnie screamed like she was on fire. Julie freaked out. They both took a cart and ran like hell towards the back. Julie could not believe her eyes. Dozens of bunnies were running for their lives for the pallet. A kit got knocked down by Bonnie's cart and he would have been hit by another if Judy hadn't grabbed him just in time. She went to the pallet to see the chaos. She saw her mom pull another bunny by the ears and throw her to the side. She saw her sister Julie suplex an old lady bunny just to get to the pallet.

"SUPLEX CITY, ROACH!"

Judy tried to calm the chaos. She jumped on top of the pallet of carrots. "Ladies please! Try to stay clam and line up in an orderly fash-AAAHH!"

Another bunny had grabbed Judy by the leg and pulled her down off the pallet, tossing her to the side. Bonnie had a batch of carrots under her armpits and several stuffed in her bra. Julie was on top of a knocked over cart and about to dive bomb over the other bunnies and into the pallet.

"STOP!" Judy pleaded. "This is madness!"

"Madness?" Julie replied. "THESE...ARE...CARROTS!" and her fat frame dive bombed into the carrots knocking over some bunnies in the process.

"I have to do something!" Judy thought. She had an idea. She went over to a clerk. "Excuse me sir!"

"DON'T KILL ME!" The panicked clerk shrieked out.

"I'm not with them!" Judy said. "I just need to know where your Sporting Goods is."

"Aisle 28." The clerk responded.

"Thank you!" Judy rushed to Sporting Goods as fast as possible. She found the self protection section and saw the fox-repellent spray which was on 80% clearance.

"Mace is mace!" She thought, then grabbed the spray and ran back to the chaos.

The pallet was half gone and Julie was stuffing carrots in places she didn't even know she had. Bonnie's top was completely stuffed with carrots while doing a tug of war with another bunny. Judy jumped on the pallet again and started spraying the mace. She blinded several of the bunnies who shrieked off.

"THAT'S ENOUGH.!" Judy screamed. She aimed the mace around the pallet. "This is officer Judy Hopps of the ZPD! You WILL get in line in an orderly fashion or get maced! Do I make myself clear?!"

"Good idea Judy!" Bonnie said. "More for us!" and she started grabbing more carrots.

"That goes for you too, mom!" She aimed the mace at her mother.

"Oh chicken pellets! You wouldn't dar-AAAAAHHHH!" Bonnie got a face full of mace.

Moments later, they got to the checkout lane. Judy was pulling her blind and red-eyed mother up to the counter and helping her drop off the carrots.

"It burns! IT BURNS!" Bonnie cried.

"I'm sorry mom." Judy said. "But you were going crazy!"

Julie started pulling the carrots out of every crevice and setting them on the counter. "Mom. Make sure you wash these real good with anti-bacterial soap before cooking. Especially...ERRGH!..These six."

"Thank you Julie! You're a good daughter. Unlike the one who just f#$%ing blinded me with mace!"

"Here's the anti-fox spray too." Judy said. "Albeit mostly used up. How much do we owe sir?"

"Well..." Said the clerk. "The anti-fox spray is down to $1.98. You SPECIST!"

"My boyfriend is a fox." Judy said.

"Surre he is. And the 3lbs of carrots are...$58.60 and thank God for self-bagging cuz I REFUSE to touch those!"

Judy was shocked. "OVER FIFTY DOLLARS FOR THREE POUNDS OF CARROTS?!"

"Haven't you heard? Carrots are rare and costly in Bunny Burrow!" The clerk replied.

"Julie!" Bonnie cried. "Get mommy's credit card out and pay! I can't see a damn thing! IT BURRRRNS!"

Meanwhile, Nick was riding with Gideon in the pickup truck towards the old, quieter side of town. They were having a chat.

"Nick, do you know WHY mah pies are the best?" Gideon asked.

Nick had an answer. "The butter. You add a little more butter in the crust than most pie makers. I can taste it!"

Gideon was surprised. "Hot-Dang! Yer right! You got a real knack fer this!"

"Why thank you, Giddyup!" Nick replied.

Gideon chuckled. "Heh! 'Giddyup'! Ah like that! No one's given me a nick name befur!"

There was a quiet moment. Then Gideon spoke. "Ah miss bakin' pies."

Nick was confused. "What are you talking about?! Isn't that what you do?"

"I wish!" Gideon replied. "Two years ago, that's all I ever did. Now that Stu and I made this business, it's all automated jus'bout. All he needs is muh recipe and some supervision. Ah hardly get near the dang oven anymore!"

Gideon sighed. "Do you know why Ah got into baking pies?"

" 'Fraid I can't read minds" Nick replied.

"My momma." Gideon said. "When ah was ah tiny pup, she would bake pies every weekend. They were SOOO good! It was always the highlight of mah week. Ah can still smell the aroma of blueberries and butter in the kitchen. It was mah fondest memories of her. Ah loved her so dang much!"

Gideon sniffled. "When she passed away, ah took over bakin' and got real dang good at it! The aroma came back and whenever I baked..it was...'SNIFF!'...it was like she was right thar with me. Ah could feel her presence. Y'know? Ah'm sure she would'a been proud of me!"

Nick was starting to sniffle a bit himself.

Gideon then looked mad. "Now everything's on a dang-blasted conveyor belt! There's no joy! No love! Meanwhile, ah'm stuck in a dang stuffy suit in business meetings, not knowin' half of what thar talkin' 'bout!"

Nick was confused. "But Stu told me he liked you because you've got business savvy?"

Gideon chuckled. " 'Business savvy'?! HA! Not ta put muhself down, but Ah'm dumber than soup when it comes 'ta that stuff! Ah jus' love 'ta bake is all!"

"Then why don't you just quit and open up a bakery? I think you'd do great!" Nick said.

"Thank ya kindly, but I owe a lot to Mr. H. Ah wouldn't be with the love of mah life it 'twernt fer him! Besides, like it or not, Ah'm part of the family."

"Mr. Hopps doesn't own you." Nick replied. "Do what makes you happy."

"Makin' Julie happy is wut makes me happy." Gideon said. "I never loved someone like Ah love her. She makes every day a joy!"

"I feel that way about Judy." Nick replied. He didn't expect to bond with Gideon so fast, but the two of them were already having a lot in common. Nick could also see the goodness in Gideon's heart. He was a simpleton, but he was warm and kind.

Nick patted him on the shoulder. "Giddyup? You're alright!"

Gideon smiled back. "Thank ya kindly."

Nick laughed. "I think that's your catchphrase."

They then arrived at the general store in the old part of town. Nick couldn't believe his eyes. Amongst the hundreds of bunnies walking around, he could see the heads of a few foxes. He didn't just see foxes together, but some inter-mingling with the rabbits and even a few fox/bunny couples. A huge smile came across his face. He walked past the general store and looked in the window. He saw a fox employee stocking the shelves.

The manager called out to him. "Hey Top Shelf! Some customers need your help over here and you're my best worker!"

"Coming Mr. Longfoot!" The clerk shouted back and ran over. "Heh-heh. 'Top Shelf''. I like that."

Nick walked further down and saw a hare with a vixen. The hare saw Nick looking at them with a wide grin and was suspicious.

"You eyeballin' my girl?!" The hare asked.

Smiling, Nick replied. "No sir! I'm just looking at a VERY handsome couple!" Nick gave them a quick hug. "Have fun you two!"

"What an odd man!" The vixen said.

Nick was dancing on air. He even felt happier went he heard the upbeat song "Prancing on Sunshine" by Catrina and the Glaves playing over the loud speakers.

 _I'm prancing on sunshine! Yeeeah! And don't it feel good?!_

"Where ya'll goin'?" Gideon asked.

"Insane with happiness!" Nick shouted back.

He started dancing around with glee outside. He saw a fox playing baseball with some bunny children. Another fox and his bunny girlfriend having a picnic under a tree. Then he saw it. Through a window.

A cub scout meeting.

The bunnies were initiating a young fox into their group. Nick feared the worst. A similar situation happened in his youth which turned out tragic.

"Ready for initiation?" One of the bunnies said.

"Take the oath! Take the oath!" The children cried out.

Nick steadied himself. "Please. Please don't hurt him."

"Now raise your right paw and deliver the oath!" Said a sheep.

It was all rushing back to him. The darkness. The oath. The muzzle. The rejection. He watched in great fear.

"I, Richard P. Redtail, promise to be brave, loyal, helpful and trustworthy!"

Nick remembered what happened to him next "Even though you're a fox?!" and the muzzle came on.

But that didn't happen here.

"Congratulations Rick!" The kits cheered. The sheep gave the boy fox a quick hug and the rest laughed and shook his hands.

Nick was grabbing his muzzle but he couldn't stop it. Tears were flowing down his face.

Gideon approached him from behind. He eyed him watching the kits through the window. Nick was on his knees weeping.

"Uhhh..You okay thar Nick?" Gideon asked.

Nick got up and looked at Gideon. "...Am I okay? Am I okay?!"

 _And don't it feel good?!_

"I'M WONDERFUL! I'VE NEVER BEEN THIS HAPPY IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!" Nick grabbed Gideon and started dancing. "Dance with me Giddyup! Dance with me!"

Gideon started laughing. "Heh-heh! Y'all are crazy!"

"Darn right I'm crazy!" Nick said. "Crazy in love! I love Judy! I love Little Rodentia! But most of all..."

"...I LOVE BUNNY BURROW!" Nick shouted at the top of his lungs, his hands raised in the air.

"Pipe down, ya loon!" An old rabbit passing by shouted.

"I love you too sir!" Nick shouted back.

 **Next Chapter: An Indecent Proposal**


	4. Chapter 4: An Indecent Proposal

Chapter 4: An Indecent Proposal

 *** = See "A Hole in The Wall" For more details.**

Nick and Gideon were heading back to the truck. Gideon had a bag of groceries he got from the general store while Nick was drunk with happiness.

"I feel great Giddyup! Stu may be kind of a jerk, but he made a great decision in the fox initiative. Seeing foxes and bunnies living in peace and harmony? It's paradise!"

Gideon smiled. "Yeah. It is pretty nice. Kits today will live in a future where they won't fear foxes no more!"

Nick looked over at Gideon. "Stu was right about something else too."

"What's that?" Gideon asked.

Nick put his arm over Gideon. "That we'd become instant friends."

Gideon blushed. "Aww shucks!"

Just then, an elderly rabbit approached them. "You two! The nice, gay, fox couple!"

Nick and Gideon looked at each other. Nick slowly removed his arm off Gideon's shoulders. Nick tried to explain. "We're just...we're just good friends."

"No matter!" said the rabbit. "I have a job that requires two strong foxes such as yourselves."

"Not interested." Nick said.

"He's a visitor and Ah'm showin' 'round town today!" Gideon replied.

"Please hear me out!" Said the rabbit. "I need two big predators like you and I'm willing to pay VERY handsomely!"

Nick was curious. "HOW handsomely?"

"One million dollars."

Nick and Gideon were stunned.

"...How?"

"Oh, it's very simple." Said the old rabbit. "I want you to eat my children."

Nick and Gideon looked at each other, then back at the rabbit.

"I must've heard that wrong." Nick said. "You meant MEET your children. Right? I mean, I did have a holiday named after me yesterday, so I'm kind of a celebrity."

"No sir! Eat!"

"..."

The old rabbit tried to explain. "You know, gobble, gobble, munch, munch, yum, yum? It's in your blood, boy! My wife is divorcing me and I have over 500 kits. I may be wealthy, but I can't possibly provide child support for that many! I begged the hawks to take them, but they have those stupid rules! So what do you say? Who wants to make a million dollars?!"

"Gideon?" Nick asked. "How far is the police station from here?"

" 'Bout two blocks down."

Moments later...

"UNHAND ME AT ONCE!" The rabbit protested. Nick carried the cuffed bunny under his arm.

"Okay, let me tell you why that was a dumb move. One, FOXES DON'T EAT BUNNIES! Not in hundreds of years! Two, I'm a police officer. You made a huge mistake buddy!"

Nick entered the Sheriff's Office with the rabbit under his arm and Gideon behind him. He went up to the front desk. There stood the sheriff. An old hare with a white mustache, long feet and a cowboy hat. He had a deputy ram with a gun in one holster and a bullet in the other.

Nick flashed his wallet with his badge inside. "Good afternoon Sheriff. I'm officer Nick Wilde of the ZPD."

The sheriff greeted himself. "Well, ah'm sheriff Andy Griffin and this here's mah deputy Blarney Strife."

"You certainly don't look like a griffin." Nick replied.

The sheriff eyed him. "Last names aren't always..."

"...Indicative of species or puns. I know." Nick said back. "In your case, it's parody. Anyway, I came to deliver this criminal. He tried to bribe me and my friend into eating his children."

"That's a pretty serious offense!" Said the sheriff. "Blarney! Lock him up in the left cell."

The ram got up and took the prisoner. "Sure thing Andy! C'mon yew!"

Nick took a good look around. "I'm only seeing two cells...and where is the rest of your force?"

"Yer lookin' at it." The sheriff said.

Nick was shocked. "WHAT?!"

Andy explained. "You have to understand. This is a small Podunk town. We don't get a lot of crime here."

Nick argued. "It's a Podunk town with over a quarter of a billion people! How is crime not running rampant?!"

"Well..." The sheriff explained. "It's about 95% bunnies and we ain't exactly master criminals! But if someone commits a serious crime like say, murder. They'll spend quite a few days in jail and pay a hefty fine."

"A FINE?!" Nick asked.

"Well of course! Ya also can't just hire someone to eat yer kids like this feller here did!"

"Well thank goodness for that!" Nick replied.

"Oh yeah!" The sheriff said. "It's gonna cost him up to...oh...five hunerd dollars!"

Nick couldn't believe his ears. "FIVE HUNDRED?! And he walks free? He offered me a million!"

"Dangit mister!" Blarney said. "We only got the two cells! Gets crowded enough in here during spring break!"

"This place is lawless." Nick said. "What about the children?"

"Well..." The sheriff explained. "It's very rare any parents would kill their own young. However, many get rejected because there ain't enough money to feed them all, which explains the high rate of orphaned kits. Government taxes pays for most of the room and board for the orphans, but the state has to pay the rest and it's up to 20,000 orphans alone."

"Good gravy!" Nick said with exasperation.

"So there's a law here that keeps paperwork down. If a child is rejected by it's parents another person can claim that child as their own. No fuss no muss. The parent has 10 days to reclaim the child and bring it to court or it belongs to another or the three orphanages around town."

Blarney poked at Nick. "That's an important plot point for the readers, so keep it in mind!"

Nick started to leave with Gideon. "Well, thanks for barely doing your job. Nice to know these people are endangered at any time!"

The sheriff kicked back in his chair. "Well, what can we do?"

"USE STATE TAXES TO PAY FOR A BIGGER WORKFORCE!" Nick yelled. "C'mon Gideon. Let's go."

Gideon led Nick to the pickup truck. "Say speakin' o' orphanages! Ah wanna swing by and show you the little ones me and Julie got lined up ta adopt when we wed!"

Nick got into the truck. "That sounds great! I wanna take a look around myself."

Nick thought about what the rabbit said. "That old bunny mentioned something about hawks? That he offered them to eat the kits but they had rules? What was that about?"

Gideon got real nervous. His eyes darted back and fourth. "Heh! Beats me! We had some hawks come by a few months ago but they don't stay long. DIDN'T st-stay long."

Nick thought it over. "That's weird. Most sentient birds and reptiles tend to keep themselves segregated. They don't care for mammals. Why would they visit here?"

Gideon needed to distract Nick. "S-Say! Why don't we say 'Hi' to the gals on video chat?"

"Sounds great!" Nick replied and Gideon got the Yipe app going on his phone. Julie answered.

"Oh! Hey Sweet Pie!" Julie said to Gideon.

"Hey Angel!" Gideon replied back. "How's the trip goin'?"

"Not good. Judy maced mom."

"Say what?!" Nick yelled.

Judy got on the phone. "It's not my fault! Some carrots came into the store and they went nuts! I saw my mom bite a hole in another woman's ear!"

Bonnie grabbed the phone. The white in her eyes replaced with a deep red. "LOOK AT WHAT YOUR GIRLFRIEND DID TO ME!"

Nick shrieked back. "Yikes! Why so crazy over common carrots?"

"They ain't common no more." Gideon said. "Since the river dried up and the crazy demand, they're rarer than gold!"

"I'm having a great time, dear!" Nick said. "There's foxes getting along with bunnies everywhere! But the law enforcement is a joke."

"Aww! You called me 'dear' instead of 'carrots'!" Judy replied.

Nick answered back. "I did, didn't I...darling?"

This made Judy giggle." Thanks sweetie! Well, we're gonna go check out a movie and then head home."

"We're going to an orphanage and see Giddyup's future kids." Nick replied.

"HA! 'Giddyup?" Judy chuckled. "I'm guessing you two are getting along?"

"We're as thick as thieves!" Gideon said.

"Yeah! I love this guy!" Nick replied back.

"Well OF COURSE those two would get along!" Bonnie said angrily.

"MOTHER!" Judy shouted. "Anyway, I hope you have fun but don't come back with any kits! I know you're still going through those maternity pangs!*"

"I won't. Promise!" Nick said with uncertainty. "You have a good time and I'll see you back at the burrow. I love you."

"I love you too." Judy replied back.

Gideon took the phone back from Nick. "Say Judy, can y'all get my Jewel back on the phone?"

"Sure." Judy replied and she handed the phone back to Julie.

"See you later angel." Gideon said. "Ah love you madly. Every minute your in mah life is greater than heaven itself. Bye!" He then hung up the phone.

Nick was surprised at Gideon's romance talk. "Well!" Nick said. "Way to one-up me!"

Gideon chuckled. "Heh-heh! Well, Ah love her ta pieces and Ah'm a bit of a hopeless romantic. Ah sometimes think up romantic sayin's to give her and write 'em down."

"I'm gonna have to come to you for some tips" Nick replied. "Come to think of it, this is the first time I said "I love you' to her. We've officially been a couple for less than a day."

Gideon started the pickup and they started driving off. "Jus wait until you see mah kids! Thar a great bunch! But...be careful 'round that orphanage."

"Why?" Nick asked.

"Thar's a hyena that goes by the name 'o 'Scratch'! Real mean piece 'o work! She almost mauled a bunny to death. Kids are scared 'a her!"

"Well I'm not afraid." Nick said. "Poor thing just probably needs someone to talk to her."

Gideon didn't like that. "Yeeah. Ah don't think that's such a good idee'er!"

There was a bit of silence and then Gideon spoke up."Nick? I gotta question I wanna ask you."

"The answer's yes. I'll marry you."

Gideon laughed. "No! No! Well close."

"Uh-Oh!"

"Oh stop it! Yuh see...Ah ain't got any real friends. Julie's brothers don't care much fer me. Mah old friend Travis...me and him had a fallin' out a long while back. I wanted to better mah life while he stayed a jerk. I'd hate his guts, but...Ah don't like ta believe in hate no more."

Gideon gave a big sigh. "What ah'm tryin' to say is...mah weddin's comin' up in a month and well...ah'd...ah'd like you ta be mah best man."

Nick felt touched. He gave Gideon a big hug. "Aww Gideon! I'd be honored!"

Gideon laughed. "Thank ya kindly, but will you stop huggin' me? Ah'm tryin' ta drive here!"

Nick sat back in his seat and chuckled. "Then stop being so damn loveable!"

They both laughed. Then Nick put his feet on the dashboard as they drove toward the orphanage. He was in some thought. "Are we having a bromance?"

"Wut the heck is that?" Gideon asked.

"It's when two male protagonists go through a strong, but platonic bonding experience.. You usually see it in buddy cop movies."

"Well, yer mah buddy and a cop so...I guess so? I ain't gotta buy yeh flowers er nothin' right?"

Nick laughed. "No. Only if you want to."

"Cuz ah know a florist who.."

"I'm just kidding Giddyup!"

 **Next Chapter: Cotton and Scratch**


	5. Chapter 5: A Cotton Tale

Chapter 5: A Cotton Tale

Gideon and Nick arrive at the orphanage. It wasn't a normal orphanage building but an entire school used to house all the children. Even then, they had to make additional buildings. Many of the classrooms were also the children's bedrooms. There was a large playground where the children all gathered and played. It was so full that it looked like ants crawling around a bowl of sugar.

"So how many does Julie want for her first batch of kits?" Nick asked Gideon.

The fat fox thought it over. "Oh, just two or three."

"That's all?"

"...dozen."

They both laughed. Gideon and Nick entered the playground area. "Now, this is a BIG orphanage so I came up with a specific call jus' fer mah kids! Watch this..."

Gideon bent back, raised his paws up to his muzzle and gave a big yell. "YEEE-HAAAW!"

No response.

"YEEE-HAAAW!"

Nothing.

"Yee-Haaw?"

"..."

"HEY KIDS! IT'S GIDEON! GET YER BUTTS OVER HERE!"

Several little kits and other mammal children came out of the woodwork. They tackled him over and hugged him tightly. "Papa Gideon! Papa Gideon!" Some of the children yelled.

"Thar's mah little rascals!" Gideon tussled their ears, hugged them and wrestled with them a bit. "Let me introduce you to the family Nick!" Gideon pointed out several kits. "Now there's here's Cletus, Buck, Stimey, Spankey, Jim-Bob, Hortence, Olga and Steve!"

He then pointed out the two fox pups near him. "These two are John and Janet!"

Nick knelt down to shake their hands. "Pleased to meet you. My father's name was John!"

Gideon looked around. "Some of them are in the school. Oh! Here comes Wiggly!"

Just then, Nick saw a little pig running up and giving Gideon a big hug.

Nick smiled. "It's nice to see that your taking in more than just foxes and bunnies."

"Well actually, Wiggly one of mah favorites! I call him that cuz he's a wiggly little rascal!" and Gideon starts to tickle Wiggly who squirmed real fast.

Gideon finally stood up and addressed the children. "Kids, ah'd like you ta meet officer Nick Wilde. Yer future godfather!"

Nick fell backwards to the ground. HE was shocked that Gideon would even consider him for that so soon. "Gideon no! I...I can't ask that of you! It's too much!"

"And why not?" Gideon replied. "Thar ain't no one else. Like ah said befur, Travis n' me ain't friends no more and none o' Julie's brothers cares fer me much."

Nick went and gave Gideon a big hug. "Well then, they better call me 'uncle Nick' cuz I love you like a brother!"

"Is this part o'that 'bromance' thing y'all wuz talkin' 'bout?"

"Yeah. I think so."

"...Ah aint gotta kiss ya er nuthin' right?"

Nick joked. "The night's still young Giddyup."

Some of the kits climbed on Gideon's back. "Giddy up! Giddy up!" They shouted.

Gideon laughed and started running around with the kits on his back. "Ha-ha! Do you see what you started?"

"Guilty as charged. You have fun Giddyup, I'm gonna do a little 'window shopping'."

The kids looked back and yelled "BYE UNCLE NICK!"

This really touched Nick. He hated to admit it, but he was starting to feel an almost stronger bond with Gideon than he did with Finnick who he always considered family. Finnick was like a second father to him, but not necessarily in a good way. The kind of dad who would help you go to sleep by giving you a shot of whiskey. Gideon reminded him more of his real father. Kind, loving and down to earth if not a bit simple. He knew deep down that Gideon would make a great dad for these kits and pups...and pig.

He saw some children looking through a dark window who suddenly got spooked and ran. Then he saw her, a little lamb girl on two crutches. The kind of crutches with the upper-arm support. She was trying to kick a ball at a wall with enough strength to bounce it back to her but was failing. It has hard for her since her legs seemed to be ent in the opposite direction. He could also see that she was a bit upset and crying. In fact, he had never seen a more depressed child. He decided to approach her.

"That wall's a bit of a tough opponent." Nick said.

"Yyeah." The lamb replied. She turned around to see Nick. She wasn't expecting a fox and she got scared and fell down.

"Y'You're a fox!" She yelled.

Nick looked confused. "What are you talking about?" Then he looked at his feet chest and arms. "OH MY GOSH! You're right! I KNEW I shouldn't have made that wish on the monkey's paw!"

The lamb laughed. She tried to get up, but couldn't.

Nick gently picked up the little girl and helped her balance properly. "Y'know there's a lot of foxes in this town now and you'll find that we're all gentle."

"I-I'm sorry!" The lamb sheepishly said back. (No pun intended...okay, the pun was intended.)

"It's okay. I get that a lot. Can I ask why you're crying?"

"I was born with my legs bent wrong. Since I'm handicapped, I've b-been chosen. Tomorrow, 'SNIFF!' tomorrow I'll be gone!" She started sobbing.

Nick sat down on the grass and let her kick the ball to him so he could roll it back. "So they're gonna take you away from here or something? Like a special orphanage for handicapped kids?"

"You're not from around here. Are you?" The lamb asked as she kicked the ball to him.

"No. I'm from Zootopia. I'm officer Nick Wilde." Nick grabbed the ball and rolled it back.

"M-My name's Christina, but my friends calls me 'Crazy Legs'"

"If they call you that, I don't really think they're your friends." Nick replied

"M-my aunt's from Zootopia. She was gonna take me with her when my parents died, b-but she did something really bad and got arrested! And now, 'SNIFF!' now they're gonna take me away!" She started to sob.

Nick got on his knees and hugged her. "Hey! HEY!" You'll be fine."

She sobbed into Nick's shirt. "No I won't!"

Nick realized something. "Wait...your aunt is from Zootopia and she got arrested?"

"'SNIFF!' Yes."

"...Your last name isn't 'Bellwether' is it?"

The lamb was surprised. "Yes! How did you know?"

Nick sighed. "She WAS really bad. I was one of the people who helped get her arrested. I...I guess I'm partially responsible for you being here."

"That's just GREAT!" The lamb yelled and she tried to kick the ball and missed, causing her to fall over. She started to bawl.

Nick picked her up and held her up to him. "It's okay sweetie calm down. Look...I'm partially responsible for you being here so...why don't I take responsibility for you?"

The lamb looked at Nick she was surprised and finally had some hope in her eyes. "Really? Please? Please take me! It HAS to be today! Please?!"

Nick chuckled. "Hold up Cottonball. We just met and I don't think they'll just let me take you now. It's not like adopting a pet or something!"

She hugged Nick tight and cried. "It HAS to be today! Pleeeze! I promise I'll be a real good daughter and not get into any trouble!" "PLEASE!"

Nick stopped for a moment and held her tight. " 'SIGH!' This is nuts! Okay. Okay I'll do my best to get to get you out of here. But on ONE condition!"

"What is it?!" She asked. "I'll do anything!"

Nick tussled her wool. "I get to play with your Cotton candy wool hair whenever I want! And you can't complain. In fact, that's your new name okay? Cotton."

The lamb giggled. "Tee-Hee! Okay! Cotton's a nice name!"

"There's a smile!" Nick said. "Okay, I'm gonna go speak to the person in charge and see if we can't get you out of here. I'll be back!"

Nick got lost on the way to the head office. He went into a dark classroom. If it wasn't for his excellent night vision, he wouldn't be able to make out the lone figure sitting at a desk. Carving into it with a jagged piece of plastic. Nick realized who it was and a lump went into his throat.

It was the Hyena girl. She was a young teen. Grey-furred with spots and a scar across her muzzle. Her mane was mangled and to the side. She smelled like she hadn't showered in weeks.

Nick tried to act coy. "Say, 'Scratch' is it? Can you do me a favor and write 'Nick + Judy' and draw a heart around it?"

"Get the fuck out." The Hyena growled. She kept her back to Nick and kept carving.

"Is that anyway to talk to a fellow hyena?"

She quickly turned her head in hopes it really was a hyena couple that had come to take her away. Instead she saw a red fox.

"Made ya look." Nick said with a smile.

The hyena snarled and growled. "You think that's funny, asshole?! I SAID GET OUT!" and she threw a desk at Nick. He barely managed to avoid it.

Nick got back up. "O-okay! That may have been a bad move on my part." He took a chair in one of the other desks. "Name's Nick Wilde. Do you stay in this dark classroom all day?"

"Why do you care?" She asked.

Nick pointed outside. "Those kids outside are afraid of you something awful. They shouldn't have to be. I bet deep down, you're not as scary as you make yourself out to be."

Scratch looked over at Nick and slowly got out of her chair, jagged piece of plastic in hand. "They're scared of me because their smart, unlike YOU!"

She quickly punched Nick hard in the stomach. He keeled over only for her to slam him into the wall. She took the jagged piece of plastic and held it firmly to his throat.

"Now listen up you dumb fuck! He come into my room thinking 'Aww! I bet deep down inside, she's a nice girl who needs someone to talk to!' I don't want to talk, I don't want your sympathy. I don't want your pity. I WANT YOU TO LEAVE!" and with that she slammed him down to the ground.

Nick checked his neck for blood and scrambled his way up "O-okay! Maybe you are as scary as you make yourself out to be! Look! I just need to find the person in charge here. I'm going to adopt Christine, the little handicapped lamb."

Scratch was surprised. "Crazy Legs?"

"Yea. She wants out real bad today so I...thought. 'Why not'?"

Scratch gave a little smile. "Smart kid. She was chosen to leave."

Nick gave a grin back. "Well look at that! You can smile!"

The hyena snarled and started walking towards Nick. He used a desk for protection.

"Okay! J-just tell me where the person in charge is!"

"It's Sister Mary Anderson. In the zebra-striped building. Just look for the doe nun."

Nick chuckled. "Right. Look for Sister Mary. The donut."

Scratch snickered and gave a little laugh. This made her embarrassed and more furious. She grabbed Nick and threw him out the door.

"GET OUT ALREADY!"

Nick tumbled over. Then got up and walked toward the building. Scratch watched him walk away.

She then mumbled to herself like a madman and paced back and fourth. "He's funny! I don't care!He's gonna take her!Good! What do I care?! They'll take the mentally handicapped ones next, then the fat ones. SHIT! You should go. NO! Fuck'em! They don't care! You care. NO I DON'T! THEY HATE ME! That's why you should go. I DON'T WANNA DIE! You don't want them to die. I KNOW!...SHIT! FUCK!" She stormed out the classroom and towards the zebra striped building.

"Why can't I take her?!" Nick demanded. "I showed you my badge. I'm a police officer and I can take great care of her! I know it's sudden, but you guys are having her leave tomorrow, so why not today?! I talked to the sheriff and the paperwork is supposed to be simple!"

"For kits, it is." The nun replied. "Sir, you're not from around here are you? We have rules and regulations to go by. You can't simply just walk up, point to a child and say 'I'll take that.' If you're not a kit, adoption is a long, complicated process. Also, if not her, some other poor child will-"

Scratch walked in. "HEY! SISTER MARY CUNT-FACE! I NEED TO TALK TO YOU!"

"Don't you DARE talk to me like that!" The doe yelled.

Scratch yelled in her face "NOW! RIGHT NOW!"

The doe was a bit scared. "F-fine! Please excuse me a moment."

Nick waited. Scratch whispered to the nun. The only thing he could hear was "Are you sure?" Within moments, she walked out again.

"Well! I have good news! Scratch has volunteered herself to take Christine's place tomorrow. Just sign these papers and you can take Christine with you."

Nick's face lit up. He was ecstatic with joy. "Thank you Scratch!" He ran up and hugged the hyena.

It was a huge mistake.

Scratch punched him in the gut again and slammed him down. "Next time you do that! You're legs will be more broken than hers!"

The nun ran over. "I'm sorry sir! She doesn't like to be touched! She has deep anger issues."

"Yeah." Nick said while still reeling from the punch. "I've noticed."

Nick left the building and headed back to the lamb. She walked as best she could towards him.

"Well? What did they say? C-can I go?"

Nick looked very somber. "I'm sorry Cotton. But they made a decision."

Cotton looked sadder than ever. She was starting to sniffle.

"They decided it was best that you go home with a dumb fox from Zootopia."

Her face lit up. She cried tears of joy. Nick picked her up and hugged her tight. "Oh thank you Mr. Wilde! Thank you!"

Nick gave her a kiss on the cheek. " 'Mr. Wilde'? That's not my name? Do you know what my name is?"

"Daddy!"

"That's right!" Nick hugged her some more and spun her around. "The papers are all signed and no one can take you from me! I'm a dad!" He saw Scratch sitting on a bench in front of her classroom. He mouthed "Thank you" to her and then left holding Cotton on one arm and holding her crutches in the other hand.

"Yer welcome asshole!" She said out loud. Not that anyone heard her. She looked around at the children playing. She saw the fat fox far in the distance playing with his future kids. A child ran by to grab a ball. Scratch decided to try and smile at the kit and wave to him. It was the first time she showed friendliness in ages. He looked at her in fear and ran away. Scratch just dipped her head down and started to weep.

"I'm gonna die tomorrow. I'm gonna die and nobody cares."

 **Next Chapter: Trying to heal old wounds.**


	6. Chapter 6: Old Wounds

Chapter 6: Old Wounds

Judy, Bonnie and Julie are in the limo. They are on their way home from an exhausting day. After the chaos they had at Lagomart, they went to the multiplex only for every movie to be sold out. Kind of hard to get tickets when there's a quarter million people and only one theater in town. Judy sighed. Her return trip to Bunny Burrow was nothing like she thought it would be. Overpopulation causing a drought, the farm turned into a factory, carrots and vegetables being rarer than gold. If there was just something that would make this trip home worthwhile.

Then she saw it. The large house on top of the hill with a well. The home of Jack and Jill Hareson. They weren't the same Jack and Jill from the old children's poem of course. Even if they did occasionally go up the hill to fetch a pail of water because hey, they lived there. No, this was the couple that was once best friends with the Hopps. At one time, as close as could be.

As Judy had told Nick the day before, Mrs. Hareson could not conceive children. Bonnie offered to have in vitro fertilization done. Thus, Bonnie became pregnant with Jill's egg and Jack's sperm. However, the day Bonnie delivered the litter. Her maternity hormones kicked in and she refused to let go of the litter that belonged to the Haresons, holding onto them tightly. Too tightly. When she heard the snap, she let go. One of the children now walks with crutches to this day and the Hopps and Hareson's relationship ended. They never spoke to each other again.

That was ten years ago. Judy had decided enough is enough and that Jill and Bonnie would finally have a talk and maybe, just maybe they could be friends again. If she could accomplish this, then maybe this weekend wouldn't be a total loss.

"Driver, stop here." Judy asked.

Bonnie saw the house and knew what was on Judy's mind. She wasn't too happy. "Judy, no! I'm not talking with them!"

Judy pleaded with her mother. "Mom, it's been ten years. They were your best friends. It's time to make things right!"

Her mom looked down at the floor, she was depressed. "How could they ever forgive me? I broke that boy's leg! And those children...I'll always consider them mine! I know I was just the carrier, but I'm the one that gave birth to them! They were in my body!"

"Tell that to them." Judy said. "Get those feelings out and over with so maybe you guys can move on."

Bonnie sniffled. "O-okay!" The three of them got out of the car and walked up the hill.

With her age and weight, Bonnie's trip up the hill was a struggle. "Phew! I don't know how they get up here day in and day out!"

"I kinda like it!" Judy said with a smile. "I like the burrow, but sometimes I feel stifled in there. I love this open air! Not only that, look at the view!"

They turned around and saw a large part of Bunny Burrow stretched out before them. They couldn't see their house, but they could see Stu's factory in the distance. They turned around towards the door. They could see some of the children playing in the back yard. The same children Bonnie gave birth to. The maternity pangs hit her back like a punch in the gut. She wanted nothing more than to leave.

"M-maybe we should go!" Bonnie said.

"After we got all the way up here?" Judy argued. "No mom!We have to face this!" She turned around and knocked on the door.

Julie put her paws on her mother's shoulders. "It'll be alright momma. I think this is a good idea."

Jack answered the door. He was a tall hare wearing a casual buttoned shirt and glasses. His fur was gray, but with tiny stripes of white fur showing due to being in his late forties. He also had black tips on his ears not unlike Judy. He saw Judy standing there. "...Judy?"

Judy smiled. "Hi Jack! I'm surprised you remember me."

Jack stammered a bit. "Oh! Well, umm...why wouldn't I? You're all over the news! The hero of Zootopia."

Judy chuckled. "Heh-heh! Right! Anyway, is Jill here? I brought mom. I think it's time we talked."

Bonnie walked forward. She couldn't look at Jack in the face. "Hello Jack."

Jack couldn't look at her. "Hello Bonnie. She's here. Please come in." The three lady bunnies entered the house.

They sat on the couch. There was a bit of awkward silence since Jill was in the kitchen and had not come out yet. Julie tried to break the silence.

"So! What have you two been up to lately."

Jack sat back in his chair. "Well, the newspaper I was writing for kinda got bought out and became an online news website. So now, I do all my writing at home and have more time for the kids."

"That's great!" Julie said.

Just then, Jill came out of the kitchen. "Jack honey! I got us some watercress sandw-..." She saw Bonnie and dropped her tray. "...Bonnie?"

"Hello Jill." Bonnie said back. She couldn't look at her either.

Jill glared a hole right through Bonnie. "...What are YOU doing here?!"

"I came to talk." Bonnie said.

"She came to apologize!" Judy added.

"What?!" Bonnie replied. She was now very upset with Judy.

Judy tried to push her forward. "It's time to say I'm sorry and move on!"

"I'm NOT sorry!" Bonnie yelled. Everyone was shocked. "I-I mean I'm sorry I broke Carl's leg, but those kits are just as much mine as they are yours and I NEVER get to see them!"

"MOTHER!" Judy shouted.

"It was my egg and his sperm!" Jill shouted.

"IT WAS MY BODY!" Bonnie yelled tears running down her cheeks. "Even if their not biologically yours, when you give birth, they are part of you forever and I-I can't let go of that!"

"Then don't." Julie said. "Look, this is the time to make amends and let Jack and Jill be part of our lives again...be part of the family again."

Jill was upset. "I don't want you in my family!" She pulled back the curtain and Bonnie could see Carl on his crutches and playing with the other bunnies. "You see that? He'll be like that for the rest of his life! YOU DID THAT!"

Bonnie pulled her ears down over her head. "I SAID I WAS SORRY!"

Jill was furious. "Not sorry enough!"

Jack interrupted. "Jill honey! That's enough! She came here to try and make amends. Doesn't that mean something?"

"Do whatever the hell you want!" Jill then stormed off into her room.

Bonnie sat with her head low and was sobbing. Judy and Julie were rubbing her back.

Jack tried to calm things. "I'm sorry Bonnie. I wish things could be different."

"After all I've done!" Bonnie yelled. "All I've suffered! You wouldn't have those kits if it weren't for me! And some thanks after I took in and adopted your niece!"

Judy and Julie's ears perked straight up. "WHAT?!" Judy asked.

"So you still haven't told her yet." Jack chuckled. "Heh. I thought she would have figured it out herself by now. I was too young and wasn't married to Jill yet."

"Who is it mom?" Julie asked.

"I'm never telling. It's not fair to her!" Bonnie said.

"Ooooh come on mom! I'm dying to know!" Judy asked.

"It's none of your business!" Bonnie sighed. "I knew this was going to be a disaster. Let's go."

Bonnie and the girls got up and walked to the door. As Julie and Bonnie left, Judy went back for a moment.

"I see there's more than seven kits out there." Judy remarked.

"Yes. Me and Jill have been adopting."

"That's very cool! Me and Nick may do the same someday."

"Nick?" Jack asked.

"Yes. He's my partner on the force and my boyfriend. He's a fox so we can't reproduce together. I'm sorry things didn't work out. This whole mess was my idea."

Jack smiled. "Well at lest you tried. Y'know, you're always welcome to come by. Jill talks about you from time to time."

"Really?" Judy said. "Thank you."

"No problem." Jack gave Judy a quick hug and said goodbye. Judy then left.

It was quick hug and goodbye to Judy...his niece.

"Judy..." He said to himself. "You're a good cop, but a lousy detective."

Judy got back in the limo with the others.

"Did they say anything else?" Bonnie asked.

"Not really. I did find out they adopted a few extra kits though."

Bonnie was a little upset. "They should have done that to begin with!"

"So who's adopted?!" Julie asked. "I'm dying to know!"

"I'm NEVER telling!" Bonnie said angrily.

"I bet it's Fatsy Patsy!" Judy said.

"Yeah! She fatter than all of us!" said Julie. "She's about the size of three rabbits!"

"It's not Fatsy Patsy!" Bonnie yelled. She then calmed down. "Look, what if it was one of you? How would you feel?! You'd feel like an outsider that's what! It would turn your whole life around and not in a good way! She'd lose her whole identity and feel like her family wasn't hers anymore. So drop the subject, okay?"

"Okay mom!" Judy and Julie said together.

"And promise me. PLEASE promise me you will not tell this to anyone else!" Bonnie begged.

"I promise mom." Judy said...with her paw behind her back. Fingers crossed.

Meanwhile...

"BOING!"

"Tee-Hee-Hee!"

"BOING!"

"Hee-Hee-Hee-Heeee!"

Gideon was driving home to the Burrow with Nick and Cotton in the passenger front seat. Nick had Cotton on his lap and was pressing down on her wool hair and letting it go to watch it spring back up, making a "BOING!" sound as he was doing it. This made her giggle uncontrollably.

"Ah can't believe ya got her so dang fast!" Gideon said. "Mine 'r still on th' waitin' list. They gotta make extra sure yer genuine about adopting them."

"Even the kits?" Nick asked.

"Not as much, but yeah." Gideon said. "By the way, I know this is a solid pickup n' all, but yeh may want to belt her down in th' back jus' ta be safe."

"Good idea." Nick grabbed Cotton and gently moved her to the back and strapped her in.

"Thanks daddy!" Cotton said.

Nick loved being called a daddy. "Aww! You're welcome sweetie!" and he kissed her on the forehead.

Nick went back to his passenger seat in the front and strapped himself in.

Gideon was curious. "So how th' heck ya manage to get her out today? Did ya sneak her out?"

Nick was offended. "What? No! That's kidnapping! She was supposed to leave for another orphanage...I think...and the Hyena...Scratch was it? She volunteered to take her place."

Cotton was shocked. "WHAT?! Why?!"

Nick was unsure. "I dunno. I guess because the kids don't like her, she decided not to stick around."

Cotton was a little concerned. "But...but tomorrow's feeding day!"

Gideon's heart skipped a beat. His ears shot up.

Nick was confused. " 'Feeding Day'? What's that?!"

Before she could say anything, Gideon interrupted her. "OH! Th-that! It's a holiday! Kinda like Thanksgiving! Everyone stays indoors and has a big meal or two, then watches football!" He then looked back at Cotton and gave a very threatening glare. She shriveled back and didn't say another word.

Nick put his feet on the dash again. "Aaaaah! I tell ya Gid! Today was a great day! One of the best! That's saying something considering yesterday I was honored with "Nick Wilde Day" in Little Rodentia and me and Judy got together. Now, I got a new best friend and an adorable little daughter! My life could not be better!"

Nick took his feet off the dashboard and looked down. Something was making him depressed.

"What's wrong daddy?" Cotton asked.

"This happens sometimes. My life goes good for a little bit and then the other shoe drops like a brick. It'll probably happen sooner than later. All this good in my life only means something bad's gonna happen soon."

Gideon didn't understand, but tried to cheer Nick up. "Well shoot Nick! That's just crazy talk! Yer life is goin' well because yer a good man and you deserve it!"

Nick smiled. "Yeah. You're probably right."

Gideon looked up out his window. He saw some dark clouds. "Looks like thar's a storm a'brewin'!"

"Great!" Nick said. "As if I wasn't feeling ominous enough."

 **Next Chapter: The Family Dinner**


	7. Chapter 7: The Blabbermouth Bunny

Chapter 7: The Blabbermouth Bunny

 **Author's note: I said this chapter would have the family dinner, but as I wrote it out things changed. Now, it will be the start of the next chapter.**

Nick and Gideon arrive at the front of the family Burrow just as Judy, Bonnie and Julie get out of the limo. Nick tells Cotton to stay behind her near the truck as he wants her be a surprise for Judy.

"Thar's mah heavenly angel!" Gideon said as he ran up to his fiance'. He kissed her passionately much to Bonnie's disgust.

Judy walked up to Nick. "Hey you! Did you have a good time at the orphanage?"

Nick looked guilty. "Don't be mad."

Judy knew what was coming next. "Oh geez, Nick! I told you to just look! You promised not to bring a kit back home!"

"Oh I kept my promise! No kits. But..." He turned around and grabbed Cotton, then swung her around in front of Judy as he started to sing.

" _Nicky got a little lamb! Little lamb. Little Lamb._

 _Nicky got a little lamb!_

 _Her fleece is white as snooow!"_

Cotton giggled. Judy looked angry, then defeated, then just gave up and chuckled. "You REALLY couldn't help yourself could you?"

"Well, she was sorta on a 'today only' sale, so I had to pick her up. Her name's Christine, but I call her 'Cotton'. Oh! And there's a little secret you'll be surprised to hear!" Nick knelt down in front of Cotton.

"Sweetie, tell aunt Judy here your last name."

"Wilde!" She said with enthusiasm. Nick loved the answer even if it wasn't what he was looking for.

"HEE!-HEE-HEE! That's right! But I meant your BIRTH name honey! Before I adopted you."

"Oh!" Cotton said. "Bellwether."

Judy was shocked. "Whaaat?!"

"She's Dawn's niece!" Nick explained.

Judy knelt down and rubbed her head. "That's both ironic and wonderful! You, a predator raising the niece of the biggest predator-hating bigot in the history of Zootopia. Hi Cotton!"

"Hi!" Cotton said excitedly. "I'm seven years old!"

"Oooh. You're a big girl!" Judy replied. "Well, my name's Judy Hopps. I'm a police officer just like Nick. He's my partner and umm...boyfriend."

"Are you gonna be my mommy?" Cotton asked.

Judy giggled. "Well, maybe. If your daddy plays his cards right."

Judy gave Cotton her crutches and helped her walk inside the burrow. "There's a bunch of other bunnies near your age inside. Why don't we go on in and take a look?"

"Okay!" Cotton said cheerfully, She went ahead of Nick and Judy hobbling as best she could.

Judy didn't want to say it, so Nick did. "She was born with her knees backwards. Makes it impossible for her to walk normally."

This saddened Judy. "...Poor thing."

"She doesn't seem to let it get her down." Nick said. "If fact, she's much happier now than when I first met her." They then walked hand in hand inside together.

At first, Nick felt cramped. They came in through a narrow hallway. There was some archways to other rooms and the walls of the hallway showed old picture of famous family members long gone. The walls and archways themselves were given pastel colors giving the place a bright and cheerful tone. The hallways were cramped, full of bunny family members darting in and out. Some of them backing away from Nick in fear. It was so cramped, Nick was a little worried now for Cotton went ahead of them. She might have problems getting around all these bunnies just on her crutches.

Then, he entered the main dining hall. He couldn't believe his eyes. The narrow hallway opened up to a grand room full of tubes and slides. He could see the hallways of floors five stories above him. It looked like a giant, multi-story shopping mall. On his level there were six large tables set around the room with a giant table in the middle set for the mother, father and important family and guests.

Judy turned around and talked to Nick. "I'm gonna go check out my old room. Probably needs dusting. Why don't go take a look around?"

"I'll try not to get lost." Nick replied and he gave her a quick kiss, then watched her walk away. Nick decided to look around the room for the direction of the kitchen. Every hallway went in every different direction and he soon found that he couldn't find the original dining room he was in.

He then heard a voice from behind. "Are you lost, little fox?" He turned around and was floored by what he saw.

She was a bit taller than Judy. Almost as tall as Nick himself. She was pudgy, but the bulk curved in all the right places as if the fat knew exactly where to place itself. She had a large bust and was very curvy in the hips. Nick hated to admit it to himself, but he was aroused just looking at her.

"Name's Jenny." she said. She rubbed her hands against Nick's chest. "And what's your name little fox?"

"N-Nick Wilde! I'm here with Judy." Nick had to back off a bit.

"Don't be scared of me Nick. I won't bite...hard." She said licking her lips. "You're much slimmer and more handsome than that fat fox Gideon. Are you and Judy an item?

"YES!" Nick squeaked out. "I-I mean yes. Since last night. I'm also her partner on the force. Sooo umm...do you know the way to the kitchen?"

Jenny stared deep into Nick's eyes. "Y'know, I could use a partner myself." She wrapped her arms around Nick. "All the bunnies 'round here are too small. I need a BIG partner. Do you know where I could find one, handsome?"

Nick gulped. "I-I-I..." He then heard his daughter's voice call out to him. "Daddy! Where are you?"

"Oh thank GOD!" Nick thought to himself. He then turned to Jenny. "Heh! That's my daughter! Gotta go! Nice meeting you!" He quickly turned around and called out to her. "Coming honey!" He then walked as fast as he could away from Jenny.

Nick found Cotton holding hands with a little bunny. The boy had no pupils to speak of as his eyes were pure white. He guessed right away that the boy was blind.

"This is Michael!" Cotton said excitedly. "He's blind. I let him feel my face and he said I was the softest and prettiest girl here so he's my boyfriend now! Can I marry him?"

Nick couldn't help but laugh. "You've only been here for ten minutes!"

"Please?" Cotton begged.

"Yeah! Please?!" The boy said.

Nick chuckled. "Well...sure you can. But you have to wait at least eleven years, Y'know!"

Cotton started to cry and stomped the ground with her crutches. "But I wanna marry him nooow!"

Nick couldn't help but chuckle at how it was. "AWWW! My baby's first temper tantrum. Sorry honey, but the law's the law."

Meanwhile, Gideon was helping his fiance' get the groceries out of the limo when Stu approached him.

"Gideon, son!" Stu shouted. "How did things go with Nick?"

"Could'na gone better Mr. H!" Gideon said. "Me and Nick r' like brothers and he had one o' th' best days of his life!"

Stu patted Gideon. "Good. GOOD! Now, I want you to take him out of town tomorrow. FAR out of town. You have to deliver those pies tomorrow and pick up the packaging from our suppliers, so that would be the perfect opportunity. We may keep him from seeing the hawks. By the way, who was that crippled lamb that walked in?"

"That thar's his new daughter Cotton sir! He adopted her befur they used her for sacrifice tomorrow."

"This is great!" Said Stu. "If he's away with you, we can use her for sacrifice instead of Michael!"

Gideon got real angry. "NO SIR! Ah'm sorry but I gotta put mah foot down on this. Bad enough those poor kids end up bein' fed to th' hawks, but Nick's a darn good man and loves bein' a father. She avoided her fate n' I won't let her get fed. No sir!"

Stu jumped on the hood of the limo and got into Gideon's face. "Look you sorry excuse for a simpleton, I WON'T lose another family member if I don't have to! Don't forget, I'M the one that brought you into the family and I could just as easily cut the purse strings and POOF! No more wedding! If you elope, you'll be having your honeymoon in a shed! Now, the hawks don't fly in until around noon. We'll all go to church and then you take him out of town and don't you DARE say anything about 'Feeding 'Day'! Do I make myself clear?"

"..."

"DO I MAKE MYSELF...CLEAR?"

Gideon looked down and away from Stu. "...Yes sir."

Stu smiled. "Good, son! Good!" He patted Gideon on the back. "Now let's get ma cooking on those carrots and we'll all have a nice, family dinner. I also got a BIG announcement to make! See you inside!" Stu then hopped off happily into the burrow.

Julie rubbed her fiance's arm. "I'm sorry honey. He can get real mean if he wants to."

Gideon clenched his fist. "One o' these days, ah'm drop kick him like a got dang football!"

Meanwhile, Nick was sitting on a couch with Michael while having Cotton on his lap. She was still crying a little and Nick was wiping her tears with her own wool. "See? I CAN pull the wool over your eyes!" She giggled.

Just then, Judy walked in. "Mom and a few of the sisters have the pots going. Ready for dinner soon?"

"Sure thing, fluff."

"Judy! Can I see your face?" Michael asked.

"Sure, baby bro!" Judy said and she picked up Michael, sat next to Nick and put the boy on her lap.

Michael rubbed his paws on her face. This made Judy giggle a little.

"You're face is soft and round. I like it!"

Judy giggled. "Thanks Mike!"

Nick and Judy looked at each other. Both with a child on their lap. Nick gave a sly smile to Judy. "Y'know Fluff, I kinda like this look."

"Well don't get too ahead of yourself." Judy said. Then she remembered something. "Oh! That reminds me! I want to tell you something important. I promised my mother I wouldn't say anything, but..."

Nick interrupted. "Then don't. Respect your mother's wishes Carrots!"

"But I need your help with this!"

"Carrots..."

"I crossed my fingers when I promised."

Nick used a nickname he only used when he was mad a t Judy. "Cotton Butt...Don't!"

Cotton interrupted. "You meant her, right daddy?"

Nick laughed. "Yes sweetie."

Judy couldn't hold in and let it out. "One of my sisters is adopted!"

Nick was upset. "JUDY!"

"I'm sorry!" Judy said. "But..you're better at detective stuff than I am and I need your help!"

"One of my sisters is adopted?" Michael asked.

Judy realized she said it right in front of Michael. "One of your older sisters. But please keep this a secret, okay?"

"I will!" Micheal said.

"Yeah. Don't be like your blabbermouth sister." Nick added.

Judy pleaded with Nick. "C'mon Nick! I need your help!"

"Nothing doing!" Nick shouted. "Honey, I don't know your mother well, but I'll at least respect her wishes!"

Judy gave up. "You're no help!"

Nick gave a grin. "I'm not am I?!"

Judy looked sad. She hugged her baby brother tight. Even if it was wrong. Nick couldn't stand her sad, violet eyes. Problem was, he KNEW who it was. He had a feeling right away when he saw the rest of the family as he stepped off the train.

Nick sighed. "Fine! I'll give you a tip, but you can't bother me about this again!"

Judy got excited. "YES! I promise!"

Nick looked at her with a bit of anger. "Don't bother to promise. I know what that's worth. 'SIGH!' Use your eyes and your mind. Look at your family, your siblings. Who among them is more different than any of the others? If you figure that out, you'll know who it is."

"That's good advice Nick!" Judy said cheerfully. "Thank you!"

"One word of warning Fluff." Nick said. "Whoever it is, if they find out, it could hurt them badly. Tread carefully!"

They then heard Bonnie yell out. "The six pm dinner's ready! Check the list for your seating spot!"

"What's with the time and list?" Nick asked.

Judy explained. "Even with some of them married off and gone, we still have over three hundred family members. Because of that, we have a 4pm, 5pm and 6pm dinner schedule. It changes regularly so family members can sit at the table with mom and dad. As a guest, it's considered an honor to sit with my parents."

"Then I'll treat it as such. C'mon sweetie!" Nick picked up Cotton and carried her crutches. Judy and Michael followed.

 **Next Chapter: Dinner and a Fight**


	8. Chapter 8: The Family Dinner

Chapter 8: The Family Dinner

 ***=This is just my way of getting anyone who hasn't read my other stories up to speed on my current canon.**

 **Also, Nick's talk with Bonnie is part of my own personal view on religion and is not meant to offend anyone else's personal views.**

The family was gathered around the main table. Stu and Bonnie were at the head of the table. Nick and Judy were sat next to each other and by Stu's side. Since Cotton was an unexpected guest, she sat on Nick's lap. Julie was positioned next to Bonnie while Gideon was being punished by Stu and put across from his fiance' and next to Judy. Judy was confused.

"Why aren't you with Julie?" She asked.

"A'hm...Me and yer father had a bit of a fight and ah'm bein' punished." Gideon replied. "N-not that sittin' next to you is punishment 'er nothin'! Ah'm sorry...do umm...do you still have those scars?" To this day, Gideon still felt guilty for what he did in his youth.

Judy brushed her fur on her left cheek to show the very faint scars.

Gideon wept a little. "Ah'm so sorry! Ah was such a little bastard back then!"

Judy put her paw on his. "It's okay Gideon. It's in the past and I'll soon have a wonderful stepbrother."

Gideon wiped his tears and smiled. "Thank ya kindly."

Judy looked around and thought about what Nick told her earlier. " _I can do this! I can figure this out!_ _Now who in my family is different from everyone else?Everyone's fur is either tan, brown or gray. The gray's mostly from my mother's side. Fatsy Patsy is huge, but over half my family is chubby. I'm the only one with black tips but...but mom said there's a few hares on her side of the family and those ear color genes passed onto me. Hmmm...it has to be someone near my age or older. Jack said it was before he married Jill...AH! I should ask mom!"_

Judy talked to her mom as other bunnies set out bowls of stew for the guests. "Hey mom! When did Jack and Jill get married?"

Bonnie got mad. "I know what you're up to dear. Stop it!"

"I'm just curious." Judy asked.

"Been over twenty years now pumpkin!" Stu said. "Not that we talk to them anymore."

Nick chuckled. "Jack and Jill?! Do they live on a hill and fetch a pail of water?"

"Yes and yes." Judy replied.

Nick was surprised and chuckled some more. "Well grab me a bow and call me Robin Hood!"

He looked down at Cotton who was hesitant to eat the stew. "Try the stew honey!" Nick took a big gulp of the stew himself and realized why she was so hesitant.

It was poor to say the least. The carrots didn't taste right. Despite all of the washing, Bonnie did have a bushel shoved in her armpits and Julie had some stuffed...in other parts but mostly, it was just a bad batch.

Gideon was the first to speak up. "These carrots taste odd but...familiar. I kinda like it!"

"Oh!" Cotton said. "I-I just remembered. I'm allergic to tomatoes! Do you guys have any hay or grass?"

Nick was horrified. "Oh my gosh! I forgot to check your info the nun gave me! I'm the worst father ever!" Nick pulled out her chart. It included a diet plan, the medicines she needs and what food allergies she has. Peanuts, broccoli, chocolate (which fits Nick fine since chocolate could kill him) but no mention of tomatoes. He looked down at Cotton. She had a guilty expression on her face. She was lying and now she knew that Nick knew she was lying.

Nick just smiled at her and gave a wink. "Yup! Says right here. 'Tomatoes'."

Stu added. "Well, now that we don't plow the fields, Mr. Saltlick doesn't work here so we have no need for hay. Got some straw for the chicken nests!"

"I can make you a lettuce and straw salad if you'd like." Bonnie said.

Cotton seemed pleased. "That would be great! Thank you Mrs. Hopps!"

Bonnie added. "I have some left over carrots I could a-"

"N-No thank you! That's okay!" Cotton said quickly.

Gideon looked over at Nick and Judy and wanted to make some small talk. "So ummm...what have y'all been up to?"*

"Well, Carrots here wrecked our squad car." Nick said.

"Hey!" Judy protested. "You wrecked one too!"

"I have an excuse. I hadn't driven in 15 years and was inexperienced."

"Yes, and THEN you got us into a high-speed chase with some squirrels who hijacked a 4x4!"

"We ended up driving into the Steeples center in the middle of a giraffe soccer match. I was dodging left and right between the giraff's giant legs!"

"The ball alone was half the size of our car. I thought it was gonna crush us!"

"Yeah, but then Carrots here did a super flip-kick and knocked it 'BAM!' right into the squirrels!"

"Only for you to drive right off the bridge and into the freezing river...You. 'SNIFF!' You almost..."

Nick put a paw on her shoulder. "I almost died, but you saved me. I'm okay now. Oh! Then I solved a spooky mystery!"

"Oh yeah! There was a convenience store that was being robbed, but the merchandise seemed to float away all on it's own! I was starting to think it was ghosts! But Red here figured out it was just chameleons."

"Red?" Stu asked.

"That's my pet name for Nick. Like how he calls me 'Carrots' and 'Fluff''." Judy replied.

Nick continued. "Anyway, because we wrecked the two squad cars, we've been put on parking duty until Judy's car gets repaired. I got put on a missing mouse case after I found the two children of the CEO of 'Mousey's" department store had taken shelter in my apartment. The chief decided to make my apartment their hideout until their parents were found. I was a dad to them for three days. Their evil aunt wanted the Mousey's fortune, so she shot Chris and kidnapped Cindy. Thankfully, Chris only had minor injuries and I got the aid of our only mouse cop, Brie to save Cindy. Meanwhile, I had to deal with the aunt's main thug. A nasty, redneck fox by the name of Jake. Chris managed to get the city of Little Rodentia evacuated while me and Jake clashed in the city like giant monsters. Me and Judy managed to save the tiny city along with Chris and Cindy."

Nick held onto Cotton tight. "Judy can you...Can you take the next part?"

Judy rubbed Nick's back. "Over those last three days, Nick had gotten attached to the mouse pups and the parents were never heard from so he thought he'd adopt them himself but...when he got to the station and Nick was going to fill out paperwork, the parents had finally come out of hiding now that the danger had passed. It broke poor Nick's heart."

She tried to cheer him up. "BUT! The parents did make him the godfather of those pups and they honored him for saving the city with "Nick Wilde Day" in Little Rodentia. That was yesterday. Then last night, we had a game of bowling with our friends. We found out Wolford's wife was pregnant, Fangmeyer and Clawhuaser are an item and that's when Nick decided to finally break the friend zone and me and him became lovers."

Nick smiled. "Best night of my life." He leaned over and kissed Judy. Bonnie, who just came in from making the salad dropped the bowl on the table.

"Disgusting!" She yelled.

"Bonnie dear!" Stu yelled back.

"I'm sorry honey! Nick seems like a decent man, but...it's a sin! It's unnatural and it goes against all our religious beliefs! It's bad enough with Julie and Gideon. I just...I can't take it anymore!" and she stormed off into the kitchen.

Judy was obviously upset. Nick took it in stride. He got up off the chair and set Cotton down by herself. "You eat your salad, honey! Daddy's gonna have a talk with grandma Bonnie!"

Judy looked over at Nick with concern. "...Nick?"

Nick rubbed her shoulder and kissed her cheek. "It's okay. I got this." He then walked into the kitchen.

Gideon tried to end the tension. "So uuhh...seems like ya'll got a bit of a rodent problem! Lot's o' tiny mouse crimes and whutnot!"

"Well, that's the thing!" Judy said. "A lot of rodents have been committing crimes to pay tribute to some crime boss who calls himself 'The Big Cheese'. We still don't know much about him except he might be a predator and he wants to bring prey down in a big way. Predator crimes have also been on the rise and they'd been talking about some 'purge day' that's supposed to happen soon. The prey in the city are in great danger. In fact the reason the mice are paying tribute to this guy is to help protect themselves when the purge goes down. Something really bad is going to happen in the city very soon and me, Nick and the ZPD need to put a stop to it right away!"

Stu didn't like it one bit. "This sounds way to dangerous pumpkin! You need to come back home and avoid all this mess!"

"No dad!" Judy shouted. "I'm a police officer and it's my duty to protect the citizens from anyone who would do them harm. If I die protecting them, so be it!"

Meanwhile, Nick finally found the kitchen. He saw Bonnie sitting at the kitchen table, alone and weeping. "Finally found this room! You think you could teach me to bake pies later?"

Bonnie looked up. She was still angry. "What do you want?!"

"I wanted to thank you."

Bonnie was confused. "...What?"

"I wanted to thank you for your honesty. I don't know what he's up to, but your husband has been kissing my butt since I got here and I can tell he's not sincere. As much as it hurts me, YOU were honest and said what you felt. I like people who are up front with me."

Judy couldn't look at Nick, but felt better about him. "Well...I'm sorry, but the Book of Bunny says _'do not let a fox into your home..' "_

Nick finished. _" ' Lest your children are devoured.'_ It also says you should stone us with rocks and set us on fire."

Bonnie was surprised. "How do you know all this?"

"I studied religious scripture at the academy. I thought it was important for me to understand some of the beliefs and cultures of the other mammals out there rather than relying on old, stupid stereotypes. Best to know where people are coming from if I'm going to protect and serve them. You don't believe I'll devour your children, do you?"

"No. Of course not." Bonnie replied.

"And I don't believe you'd set me on fire. Hit me with rocks MAYBE, but..."

Bonnie giggled.

Nick picked up Bonnie's bible. "There are scripture's similar to this in the book of the Fox King. You see, in both books there are some great teachings about loving and respecting one another. However, there are many parts that are outdated. Times change, people change. This book never will and I believe we shouldn't follow ANY religious book to the absolute letter, but take heed to it's good teachings."

He held up Bonnie's bible. "This is a guide book. Not a rule book. Don't let beliefs of the past rule over what you know in you heart is right. Finally, I want you to know this. If me and Judy get married, adopt children and you still hate me, I'll still love you because your Judy Hopps' mother and you raised her well."

Bonnie was weeping. He kissed her on the cheek and started to leave. "Nick!" She yelled out.

"Yes?" Nick said.

"C-Come by tomorrow night and...and I'll help teach you to bake a blueberry pie."

"Sounds great!" Nick said . He went to leave, but felt compelled to turn around. "This is none of my business..but she's starting to snoop around. Judy's...Judy's adopted isn't she?"

"Yes." Bonnie admitted. "Her mom died from complications at birth and I was due right away. Jack was too young and not ready to take care of his niece, so we put her in our litter when they were born a week after. Nobody noticed. She's so outgoing and brave! Just like her parents. I'm surprised she hasn't figured it out yet."

"She will." Nick said. "You should tell her."

"You tell her!" Bonnie said. "I-I'm afraid she'll hate me!"

Nick put a paw on her shoulder. "Never! You said some horrible things about me and I still like you!"

"I like you too Nick. Really! I just wish you weren't a fox."

"I do too sometimes." Nick replied. "I'll tell her sometime tomorrow if that's your wish."

"Thank you." Bonnie replied and they decided to walk back out together..

Bonnie and Nick came out right when Stu was bragging how much money the factory was making. Stu then clinked his glass a few times. "Okay folks! I just wanted to say a few words. First off I'd like to welcome our guest of honor. One of the heroes of Zootopia and hopefully my future son in-law, Nick Wilde!"

Nick was embarrassed, but waved to everyone.

"Now onto the BIG announcement!" Stud said. "As you know, times have been tough. A fair amount of bunnies moved in from Hareisburg due to the river drying up there and it caused havoc on our environment! Since we rabbits reproduce much faster than we pass away, our population is at an all time high and has become unsustainable! The Bunny Burrow river had been at it's lowest levels in recorded history. That's why I helped enact the 'fox initiative' to help curb our overpopulation!"

Stu continued. "But here's the good news! As you know, I have a lot of pull in this town and about six months ago, the mayor and I talked to the mayor up north in Carrotville where the river forks out into other rivers and lakes. With my sponsorship, we have made a dam that subverts the water back into our rivers! I'm happy to report that the river is now up to 75% of it's original levels! Not only that, but since we have more water, we're going back into carrot farming starting next month!"

Everyone cheered the family was elated. Even Judy was excited.

" _Subverts it from where?"_ Nick thought.

Stu continued. "And since carrots are still at a premium, we can still sell them at a super high price!"

Gideon and Nick looked at each other in disgust.

Cotton spoke out. "Excuse me sir, but isn't it bad to take advantage of your neighbors like that? They'd love you if you sold the carrots cheaper."

Stu laughed. "Oh-ho, Lambchop! You obviously don't know how business works."

"I have an announcement too!" Bonnie said.

"Uh-Oh!" Nick thought. "She's gonna tell Judy in front of everyone!"

"...I'm pregnant!"

The room went silent. Some bunnies just shrugged their shoulders.

"What?" Bonnie said. "That's a big announcement. Isn't it?"

Stu interrupted. "Honey, you're pregnant 11 months out of the year. You NOT being pregnant. That would be a shocker!" The family all laughed.

The table was officially dismissed. Everyone got up and left. Nick and some of the others were polite enough to take their dishes to the kitchen.

Judy spoke to Nick. "Me and some of my other sisters are gonna watch a Jack Savage movie marathon. You interested?"

"I love those Jack Savage movies..." Nick replied. "But maybe later. I want to spend some quality time with my new daughter."

Just then Stu interrupted. "Nick my boy! Can I rap with you for a second? That's what the hip folks are calling it now, right? Rap?"

"Around here, I imagine they just call it 'hip-hop'." Nick joked.

"Real funny." Stu replied. "Not that kind of rap of course. Do you know what I don't believe in?"

Nick looked around the house full of 300+ bunnies. "Pulling out?"

Stu laughed. "Ha-HAA! Nonono...well...yes. But besides that! I don't believe in chance. I believe in fate! You Nick, were fated to be part of the Hopps family. I also believe you and my Judy were meant to be in Bunny Burrow! Gideon told me you saw how law enforcement is around here! It's a joke! You and Judy could be the law in this town! Really make our world a better place."

Nick liked what he heard. Stu was right. He even used Judy's mantra. The law was a joke around town. With him or Judy as acting sheriff, they could hire more cops and help bring real justice to Bunny Burrow. "Yeah...Yeah! I like that idea!"

"Now, it won't happen if you two don't stay here. Zootopia's got plenty of cops! Try to convince my pumpkin to marry you and live here! You've seen how we are with foxes. It's paradise, son!"

Stu was dishing it out and Nick was eating it up. "It really is paradise, isn't it? Y'know what? I'm gonna do it. I'll ask her to marry me tonight!"

Stu was ecstatic. "Glad to hear! Glad to hear! I'll be waiting for the big news tomorrow! See you later...son!"

"Goodnight...Dad!" Nick smiled back. The two left very happy.

Nick was excited. "I have a feeling tonight's gonna be a VERY big night!"

Nick was right...but for all the wrong reasons.

 **Next Chapter: Uh-Oh**


	9. Chapter 9: The FightNick's Story

Chapter 9: The Fight/Nick's story

 **Author's note: Big feels in this one! I forgot that Koslov became Mr. Big's henchman and not a deleted character, so I just switched the name, but basically, he's the same as the deleted version of Koslov. Also, this is where I really start to apply that M rating. No smut though. Not my style. Dirty jokes on occasion yes, but no smut.**

Cotton was looking sad. She watched the other bunnies playing together on the slides that go from the fourth to second floors. She wanted to join in but was too shy.

Nick approached her. "Y'know sweetie, when Judy was your age, her two best friends were a lamb and a ewe just like you! Why don't you go introduce yourself and have some fun?"

"They'll think I'm weird." Cotton said. "My knees are backwards and they'll ask all sorts of questions!"

"So let them ask." Nick replied. "Honey, they're just curious about you. I don't think they wanna make fun."

Cotton looked guilty. "I lied to Mrs. Hopps about being allergic to tomatoes."

"I know." Nick said. "Pretty clever move considering how bad those carrots were."

"NO!" She shouted. "I shouldn't lie! That's bad!"

Nick knelt down and rubbed her shoulder. "You didn't lie to be mean or selfish. You lied to be polite and not hurt her feelings. Lying can be bad, but sometimes you have to not to hurt others. She would been more hurt if you told her the truth that her carrots stunk. There will be times in your life where you can't avoid it."

"But it's wrong!" She said. "You're not like that!"

Nick got a little choked up. "Honey I...I was a bad fox for a long time. I used lying to get my way and sucker people out of their money. I was the king of liars and quite good at it. Then Judy entered my life and made me an honest man and I had no need to lie anymore. At least, not for personal gain. If you lie to not hurt someone's feelings, it's okay as long as you're not keeping important information from them. But if you lie because of personal gain or out of fear, that's bad. As long as you're true to yourself, that's the most important thing. Now you go have fun with those kits, okay?"

"Okay Daddy!" Cotton gleefully said and hobbled over to the other kids.

Gideon was hiding by the corner and heard everything. "Ah'm a got dang coward."

 **Saturday Evening: 9:43 pm**

Nick was sitting with Judy on the couch with her sisters. Their home theater was a large, 4K TV with several couches in front of it going up behind the next like a movie theater. The Jack Savage movie was at the rolling credits.

Nick stretched his arms. "Man! The green screen in those old 80's flicks are so obvious. Who played Jack in that movie?"

"I believe it was Pierce Bunsnan." Judy said. "I LOVE Jack Savage! I used to write fanfics about me and him when I was younger."

"I'd be jealous if he wasn't fictional." Nick replied. "By the way, I LOVED that nuzzling you were doing to my ear."

Judy was upset. "I didn't nuzzle your ear!"

"Then who?..." Nick asked.

Judy saw Jenny leaving. During the movie she was sitting behind Nick and Judy. "JENNY!"

"What is it LITTLE sis?" Jenny said in regards to Judy's chest size.

Judy gave Jenny an accusing finger. "I know it was you. You're the biggest slut in all the burrows!"

"EXCUSE ME?!" Jenny said. She got into Judy's face. "You have NO proof I did anything and even I did, I don't see a ring on his finger."

"Nick's MY boyfriend! You better back off before.."

Gideon accidentally interrupted the fight. "Pardon me ladies. Am I interruptin' anything?"

"No." Said Judy. "JENNY was just leaving!" Jenny then stormed off.

Gideon turned to Nick. He'd had enough of Stu and felt he needed to tell Nick the truth, but fear of Stu's reprisal was still with him. He was having an inner-conflict. "Nick...Ah...ah need ta tell you somethin'!"

"Sure Giddyup, what is it?"

"Ah...ah...ummmm...If''n ya need ta use the shitter, go upstairs and use the one by mah bedroom. It's made 'specially fer me on account'a foxes make much bigger turds than bunnies. One time ah used the third floor turlet and flooded the two floors below!"

"Okay then." Nick said. "Important info. Thanks Gid!"

"Yer welcome." Gideon said. He was still in inner conflict. "Oh, and Nick?..."

"Yes?"

"...'SIGH!'...Nuthin'." Gideon left. He felt ashamed.

Nick turned back to Judy. "Well, I'm gonna say goodnight to my little girl and then I'll see you inside your room."

Judy was surprised. "Oooh! My room? Are you sure mommy and daddy approve?"

"Your dad more than gave the okay. In fact, he was kinda encouraging it. It's...creepy."

"Well okay then." Judy pulled Nick close and gave him a big kiss. "See you inside, lover boy." She then left to her room.

" _In more ways than one."_ He thought.

Nick went to look for her daughter. There were dozens of rooms so he was looking for the one with the most activity. He was having a hard time. He finally just started shouting for her.

"Cotton! Sweetie where are you?! Christine Wilde, get out here!"

"Up here daddy!" Cotton shouted. Nick looked up. She was on the third floor. Nick couldn't find the stairs nearby, so he just climbed up the small scaffoldings. He reached the top and saw Cotton. She was poorly covered from ear to ear in girl's makeup. The rouge, blush and lipstick were incredibly thick.

"Look daddy!" Aren't I pretty?"

"Uhhhh...You're always pretty sweetie!" Nick said, avoiding how ridiculous she looked. "C'mere and give your poppa a kiss goodnight before I fall off this thing!"

She hobbled over to Nick who was hanging off the scaffold. She reached over and gave him a great big hug and kiss and then started weeping.

"Thank you daddy! Th-thank you so much for choosing me! You saved me! I love you!"

She held onto him tight. Even Nick started to tear up. "You are the best decision I ever made in my life. I love you too." He gave her a final kiss on the forehead and climbed back down.

He finally got to Judy's room. It was much smaller than he thought and he had to duck down a bit because the ceiling was low. He couldn't find Judy. Instead he found a ton of plush animals all over her bed. "Judy? Judy were are you?" He heard a giggle. He looked around and realized Judy was hiding somewhere hiding within the pile of stuffed animals.

Nick took his shirt off and crawled around the short bed. "Where are yoooou? I'm just gonna have to bite down on these plushies until I find you!" He crawled around on all fours and nibbled each plush until he finally heard a loud "Eeek!" Judy popped out wearing nothing but a night shirt.

"AH-HA!" Nick shouted. "I have found my prey and I will eat you! I think I'll start with a rump roast!" Nick then nibbled on Judy's behind and went to town from there.

Two hours and one stained nightshirt later, Nick and Judy were laying down in the bed. Her back lying between his legs, looking up at him and giving deep kisses.

"Ready for round four?" She asked.

"Gimme a few minutes to rest hon-bun. I'm not a machine."

"Well if you don't hurry Red, I got a few machines around here that can replace you."

"Ouch!" Nick said. "I'm gonna have to organize a union to secure my rights to mate with you."

She giggled. Nick then got up the courage to ask her. He knelt down in front of her. "Judy I know this is very sudden, we've only been together as a couple just over 24 hours, but...I've known you for well over a year. Bunny Burrow is amazing! I saw foxes and bunnies holding hands without anyone passing judgment. Let's stay here! Let's stay here and get married!"

Judy sat up and looked at Nick like he was nuts. "What?! No way! Are you crazy?!"

Nick pulled away from her. He was a bit hurt. "Why not?! This place is paradise! Bunnies and foxes living in harmony, you're parents are here, they like me, and the Police station is a joke! We could totally take it over and make a huge difference!"

"I don't want to be a cop here!" Judy yelled. "We have our friends in Zootopia and we're making a difference there. I didn't leave just to pursue a job, I hate it here! It's overcrowded and everyone's doing the same crap on a different day. It's tedious!"

"Screw Zootopia!" Nick shouted. "Why be a little fish in a big pond when we can be big fish here and make this town a better place! I could walk the streets holding Cotton's hand without any stares."

" 'Screw Zootopia?!' Screw Bunny Burrow and it's lame Podunk farm life! Zootopia is my life now! It's where our friends are! Besides, I'm not ready to marry you yet! Not by a long shot!"

This upset Nick. "WHAT?! WHY?!"

"You said you didn't want to be in a relationship with me until you became a great enough fox, but instead, you started this relationship earlier than planned. This was your idea! To be so great that people saw you for WHO you are instead of WHAT you are!"

"You're saying I'm good enough to mate, but not good enough to marry?!"

"No, that's not it! I'm saying we shouldn't rush-"

"NO!" Nick screamed. "THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE SAYING! I HAD A FUCKING HOLIDAY NAMED AFTER ME AND A PARADE AND THAT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU?!"

"Don't you cuss at me!" Judy yelled. "Besides, it was one little event! I want us to be able to walk hand in hand without having to hide in our apartment or constantly wear our uniforms or, or enter our building at separate times!"

"Let me bring you a little reality lesson honey, no matter how well I do, even if I saved the president, that's NEVER gonna happen over there, but it's happening here! You honestly think if I work super hard, people will stop judging me as a pred in Zootopia?!"

"Why not?! It worked for me. I had to work damn hard to overcome adversity and now look at me! I'm one of the most decorated officers on the force!"

Nick laughed. "Seriously? YOU'RE PREY! Yeah, you're small and people judge you by your size and that's it! You NEVER, EVER had it near as tough as I did! You have prey privilege!"

"EXCUSE ME?!" Judy yelled. "You have NO idea how hard it was for me! EVERYONE was against me! You saw it with chief Bogo! With my parents!"

"You had a dream and an opportunity to live it. Preds don't get opportunities, we just get shit on! You're so privileged and you don't even know it!"

"I worked five times harder than you EVER did you lazy-ass fox! You never tried, you bastard!"

Judy went to slap Nick, but he grabbed her arm. He clenched onto it real tight so she couldn't move.

"Ow! You're hurting me!"

"Oh, I'm sorry! Is grabbing your widdle arm hurting you? I should sue you for abuse for the time's you hit, punch and kicked me! Those hurt you know!" He let her go and sat on the bed. "You talk about 'dreams' and 'opportunities' as if they apply to predators too. Well let me tell you a little story. It's REAL painful for me to tell, so listen good. This the story of the dumb, optimistic fox and his even dumber son."

Nick folded his arms into himself. "This dumb fox had a dream. 'Suitopia'! A custom made clothing shop for all mammals. His dumber son and his poor wife LOVED the idea! They knew he had something. He needed a loan to make his dream happen. So, he went from bank to bank. Each one turned him down. He went to another bank! Turned down. Then another and another and another! Then guess what happened?"

Judy said "I don't kn-"

"THEY ALL TURNED HIM DOWN! So, the dumb fox was so...SO desperate to make his dream happen that he got money from a loan shark. A mafia loan bear by the name of Rusev. You've probably heard of him. Big, nasty polar bear. Old rival of Mr. Big. He's spending time in prison now and I hate his damn guts!"

"Anyway, Rusev offered low, monthly payments as long as the client did the occasional odd job for him. Sure enough, the store barely started construction when my da-, I mean, the dumb fox had to be a driver for a getaway car. During the chase, the other people in the car shot and killed two police officers and Rusev made DAMN sure the dumb fox took all the blame!"

"Oh no!" Judy said.

Nick was still in a rage. "SHUT UP! I'M NOT DONE! The dumb father ended up with life in prison thanks to a bigoted prey judge. The poor mother couldn't afford both her and the dumber son, so the dumber son ran away from home because..'SNIFF!' because that's what you do when you love someone! You make a sacrifice! The dumber son ended up moving in with a bad, little fox, but the bad, little fox showed him how to work the system and they made a good living. Th-then...THEN, when he was a teen and full of stupid arrogance, the dumber son. THAT DUMB, FUCKING SON! visited his dad in prison. The dumb father was concerned that his even dumber son wasn't living with his mother. 'Why aren't you taking care of your mother?' said the dumb fox. You know what his even dumber, arrogant son said? WHY AREN'T YOU?!"

Judy was getting concerned. "...Nick?"

"I'M NOT DONE! Do you know what that son did next after saying that hurtful thing? You'd think he'd be smart enough walk away, but no. No, no, no.."

Nick started sobbing hard and beating the hell out of his own leg. "No, no NO! NO! NO! NO! NOOO! He doubled down on that stupidity! He...Oh God!...H-H-He told his own father that if he wanted to support his wife he should kill himself so she could collect the insurance! A-a-a-and the dumb fox must have thought it was a good idea, B-B-BECAUSE HE HUNG HIMSELF IN HIS CELL THAT NIGHT! AHHHH-HAAA-AAAAAHHHH! I'M SO SORRY DAD! I'M SO SORRY! I'm so sorry!"

Nick covered his face with his paws and couldn't stop crying. Judy went to put her paw on shoulder and he slapped her arm away. "DON'T TOUCH ME! S-so the dumber son was too ashamed to ever go home and tell his mom the truth and stayed with the bad, little fox who took care of him. THE END!"

Tears flowed from his face as Nick stood up and put on his pants and grabbed his shirt. "If anyone can be anything in Zootopia, then why couldn't my dad even be a fucking tailor?!"

Judy interrupted "But things are better no-"

"DON'T YOU SAY ANOTHER WORD! Everything out of your mouth is bullshit! I'm not good enough for you?! FUCK YOU!"

He went to leave and gave her one last bit of info.

"Oh, and one last thing you poor excuse for a detective! You want to know who's the adopted one in your family? Here's a hint! LOOK IN THE FUCKING MIRROR!"

It was out. Judy's mind was overwhelmed. She didn't want to believe it, but it made the most sense. The hare marking on her ears, her sense of adventure, her longing to leave home. She just never wanted to admit it to herself so she blocked herself as an option. All the feelings rushed in. Betrayal. Loneliness. Losing her identity. She gave out a gut-wrenching scream as she threw plush after plush at Nick. "RRRAAAAAHHH! I HATE YOOOU!" He slammed the door behind him. She screamed out tears as she dropped onto the bed.

Nick had never been so upset and hurt. He pretended to pick up an invisible shoe and dropped it. "And THERE'S the fucking shoe! 'Aaaah'...boom!" He went to look for a spot to lay down on. When he turned the corner, there was Jenny. She had heard the fighting and was by the wall listening.

"You okay hon?" She asked. "I heard some yelling and th-"

"Nick grabbed the back of her head and shoved his tongue down her throat. With a free paw, he grabbed her rear and squeezed it hard. He then let go.

Jenny was shocked. "God...damn! I mean...wow!"

"Shut up." Nick said. "You, me, your bedroom. Right now!"

 **Next Chapter: Finnick's Finest Hour and...an Inside Out Crossover?**


	10. Chapter 10: Finnick's SaveInside-Nick

Chapter 10: Finnick's Save/Nick's Inside Out

 **Author's Note: It's been 10 chapters and only 4 reviews. C'mon guys! Good or bad, I love hearing from you. I thought chapter 9 would get something considering how heated it got.**

 **November 5th 12:24am 18 years ago...**

The city of Zootopia was experiencing a heavy rainstorm. This made things even worse in the frozen city of Tundratown as it also brought some ice cold hail. The ZPD wasn't too happy to be out there trying to couch down a suicidal fox who just lost his father. A young Nick Wilde stood on the edge of the bridge with deadly freezing water below. The same bridge he would almost lose his life to 18 years later. He was scared, ashamed and hurting. Earlier in the day he said an incredibly hurtful thing to his father only to find out later his father had killed himself in his cell. There was a crowd of prey forming. Some of them were shouting "Jump! Jump! Jump!" in unison.

Lieutenant Bogo was on the bullhorn. "Please step away from the bridge! Your father would not want you to throw your life away!"

"Shut up!" Nick yelled. "You don't know what I said! The horrible things I said! I killed him!"

"No you didn't!" Bogo yelled back. "You had no idea this would happen!"

Meanwhile, rookie officer Higgins was looking around. "Where's my pawcuffs? Sir, I think someone stole my pawcuffs!"

Just then, a tiny fennec fox appeared in front of Bogo.

"Are you lost, child?" Bogo asked.

"I AIN'T NO DAMN CHILD!" Finnick yelled. His incredibly low voice confirmed that. "Now gimme that bullhorn!"

"Are you...his guardian? A relative?" Bogo asked.

"Somethin' like that." Finnick said.

Bogo knelt down to give Finnick the bullhorn. "Now, this is a very delicate situation. PLEASE be careful with your words and above all, be sensitive!"

"Oh I'll be sensitive alight. REAL sensitive!" Finnick said as Bogo handed him the horn. He walked away from Bogo a fair bit before getting on the horn himself. "HEY ASSHOLE!"

"Go away Finn!" Nick shouted. Finnick kept approaching while the ZPD were starting to get upset.

Finnick started mocking Nick. " 'Awww! Boo-hoo-hoo! My daddy died so I'm gonna kill myself!' Bullshit! You didn't kill your dad! Rusev killed your dad when he framed him!' "

"GO AWAY! I WANNA DIE!" Nick screamed.

Finn was getting pissed and was walking faster towards Nick. "Go ahead and jump idiot! Your dad's dead, then you die. Guess what your mom will do? She'll kill herself and then you can all be one happy family in canine heaven!"

He got close enough to Nick to slap the pawcuffs on Nick and himself. "What are you doing?! Nick yelled.

"We're partners right? You jump, I jump!" Finnick then pulled on Nick towards the edge. "C'mon Nick! Let's go!"

"STOP IT!" Nick screamed.

"Fine! I'll just jump myself!" Finnick then made a running start.

"NO! DON'T!"

"WHEEEE!" Finnick jumped...and hung off the pawcuffs that were attached to Nick's paw. "What did you think was gonna happen Nick? I'm like, one pound soaking wet!"

"Knock it off!" Nick yelled. "I don't wanna die!"

Finnick was still hanging off Nick's paw. "Then what the hell are we doin' here Nick? What the hell are we doin'? Let's go home. Let's go back to the van and I'll take you to your mom's."

"I-I can't tell her what I said! She'll hate me for the rest of my life!"

"Then don't." Finnick said. "But she's going through hell too and she needs you now more than ever. I'll stay in the van. She hates my guts anyway."

Nick pulled his friend close with the cuffs and gave him a hug. "Thank you Finn. I love you."

The pouring rain hid Finnicks' tears. "Shut the hell up and get in the van!"

Finnick took the cuffs off Nick and himself. Nick headed to the van while Finnick gave the bullhorn back to Bogo.

Bogo was visibly upset. "What the hell were you thinking?! I said to be sensitive!"

"He's alive ain't he?" Finnick said back. He then threw Higgins the hippo his pawcuffs and keys back.

"Here fatty! Take better care of these!" He shouted and then walked to the van.

Nick was in the passenger side and still weeping. Finnick got in the driver's seat and slammed the door. "If you EVER try somethin' like that again, I'll bite your face off!"

"I'm...I'm sorry." Nick said.

Finnick started to drive off. "I...I'm too small Nick. I can't do this stuff on my own! I need you and...I ummm...care too. I guess. I'm not good at that kinda stuff."

Nick gave a gentle smile. "Thanks Finn."

"Shut up." Finnick said and they drove off towards Nick's mother's house,

 **Early Sunday, October 25** **th** **: 12:30am, Present Year**

Nick was kissing Jenny passionately in her room and with a deep anger. He felt betrayed by Judy. He wanted to stay here with Cotton and not deal with all of the bias and hate going on in Zootopia. As he started taking off Jenny's bra, he thought mating her older, taller sister would be good revenge for the mean things she said.

However, there was inner-conflict within him. Part of him knew he was going too far and it could ruin his relationship with Judy forever. In the inside of Nick's mind, there was conflict as well. Nick's emotions were turning inside-out.

At the core control center of Nick's mind were five emotions. Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust and Anger. They all sorta looked like Nick, but in different colors. All of which were fighting for control of the console.

"We can't do this!" Shouted Fear. "If we go too far, we'll lose Judy forever!"

"So what?!" Shouted Anger. "After the way she treated us, we deserve better! I say we go all in!"

"BAAAHHHHAAA!" Sobbed Sadness. "Sh-she doesn't think we're good enough for her!"

"Oh...my...God!" said Disgust. "Did Jenny just let a fart slide out and pretend it didn't happen?!"

"Maybe this a good thing!" Said Joy. "She seems to like us for us and I'm sure she'd be happy to live in Bunny Burrow with us and Cotton!"

"Oh come on, Joy!" Shouted Fear. "She's just using us to mate! She doesn't care about us or Cotton!"

"I don't care if it's just a one night stand!" Shouted anger. "I want revenge sex!"

Fear shoved the rest aside. "That's it! I'm taking charge!" He started working the console. "C'mon Nick! You'll lose Judy forever! Don't do this!"

To his horror, Fear realized something. "The panel's not working! We're not in control!"

"Then who is?!" Asked Joy. "Put them on screen!"

They put the screen online and realized who was now in charge. Fear was horrified. "Oh no! It's the other brain!"

"Other brain?" They all asked.

Fear shouted. "Yes! The penis!"

Sure enough. On the other screen was a bright red version of Nick with his ears curved like devil horns.

Penis laughed. "Muahahaha! It's party time, baby! And I'm wide awake! Daddy likes what he sees and I'm starting to get a rise!" The chair in front of the control panel started to rise up as did Nick's manhood.

Fear started to panic. "NnonononoNO! He'll ruin everything!"

"So what?!" Shouted anger. "I HATE that bunny"

"We don't HATE her, we're just angry at her!" Said Joy.

Sadness was on the floor sobbing. "It's all oveerrrr! BAAAHHAHAAA!"

Fear ripped out the control panel and started hot wiring it. "C'mon Disgust! You don't care for her either! Help me out!" They dug around inside and cut around some wires and the panel lit up again.

"Okay!" Fear said. "We got 25% power back! Start flashing some unsexy images into Nick's mind!"

"On it!" Said Disgust. "Baseball...bowling..."

"It's not working!" Fear said. "More unsexy!"

"I got it!" Said Disgust. "Cotton...Clawhauser in a bikini.."

"Penis's chair started to go back down. "Hey! What's goin' on?!"

"It's working! shouted Fear."

Disgust kept working the console. "Bonnie's lousy carrots!...Gideon Grey!"

"What the?...He's going back up?!"

"We really need to get those feelings sorted out." Said Disgust.

Joy had a plan. "I know what to do. He's not an emotion, but he's perfect to stop this."

"I know who you're talking about!" said Fear.

"Then beam him up!"

Fear used a key on the panel and hit a large switch. A figure started to emerge into the control room.

It was Logic. He looked like Nick cosplaying as Spock from Star Trek.

"It was wise for you to call me." Said Logic. "I'll take care of this...Penis!"

"What do you want?!" Penis shouted. "I'm about to be VERY busy!"

"There is an 80% probably that this relationship with Jenny will be very short term or only physical. We still might have a chance with Judy, but your actions tonight will jeopardize everything."

"So what?! Anger wants revenge and I wanna have some fun!"

"Then ask yourself this. Do you think this woman in front of you would actually be a good mother for our daughter, Cotton?"

"Maybe, probably not but...No! Wait! NOOOooooo!" Penis' chair landed back down and the emotions got full control of the console again.

"We're back online!" Shouted Fear. "Thank you logic! Now...abort! Abort the make out session!"

Nick got himself under control and pushed Jenny away. "I'm sorry." He said. "You are INCREDIBLE, but...I have to give her another chance. I've built up a lot of love and trust with her and I have to at least try and get her back. For my sake and my daughters."

Jenny was obviously upset. "I don't see what the big deal is?! It's just mating!"

"Well that's part of the problem baby. I don't mate, I make love. While you are incredibly sexy, I'm not in love with you."

" 'SIGH!' I guess understand honey." Said Jenny. "But if you ever change your mind, just call my number."

"Is it 867-5309?"

"Yes! How did you know?!"

"Lucky guessand yeah, I'll _definitely_ keep you in mind " Nick said and he left her room.

Jamie Hopps was Judy's litter sister. That means they shared the same birthday and would have shared the same womb if Judy wasn't actually adopted. Bonnie did a good job of fooling everyone into thinking Judy was part of that litter. It was 1 am and Jamie was wanting a midnight snack. She went into the kitchen only to find Judy sitting at the table looking at pictures on her iPawed Mini and weeping.

Jamie was concerned. "Hey sis!...You okay."

"No." Judy said. "I am FAR from okay!" Judy showed her a picture of the Hopps family during the litter sibling reunion. "See this bunny family here? Who's this hare with them?"

Jamie was confused. "Th-that's you Jude! But...your not a hare, you're a bunny like us!"

Judy started to sob. "NO I'M NNNNOOOOT!"

Jamie went up and hugged her sister. "Judy! Judy what's wrong?"

"Everything! I-I had a big fight with Nick! He proposed to me and w-w-wanted me to stay here, but I wasn't ready for that! He screamed at me! I've never seen him that mad! An-an-and then! I found out I'm adopted!"

"WHAT?" Jamie yelled/

"Mom blurted out that one of us was a Hareson, but she wouldn't say who so I investigated it myself! Nick was the one who finally told me in the heat of our fight! Mom lied to me for 25 years! I-I don't know who I am anymore! Am I Judy Hopps or Judy Hareson?! I DON'T EVEN KNOW MY OWN BIRTHDAY!" She cried onto Jamie's shoulder.

Jamie hugged her and rubbed her back. "Judy! Judy! It's going to be okay. I bet you have answers now to questions you've had for ages! We all settled. You NEVER did! We all look up to you because you were the one who shook things up and made your dreams come true!"

"Y-Yes! But it wasn't because I was a Hopps! I Zoogled information on my mom and dad. He died fighting overseas in the army! She was an international spy until she got pregnant with me! She died of complications and I was the only one in the litter strong enough to survive! I never went against the family! Following my dreams was in my genes!"

"It still won't stop us from all admiring you." Jamie said." Look! No matter what, you will ALWAYS be a member of this family and we'll always love you! It's late sis. Go to bed and get some sleep. You'll have a clearer head for this in the morning."

" 'SNIFF!' You're right. I will say one thing, I'll NEVER forgive Nick for this!"

Meanwhile, Nick finally found a comfortable spot on the living room floor that he thought was out of the way of everyone. He was trying to fall asleep when he felt a foot hit him and trip.

"OW!" Shouted the little bunny.

Nick was surprised. "You okay kid?"

"Yes sir. I wasn't expecting you out here."

Nick took a good look and realized it was Michael. "What are you doing walking around without a guide?"

"I don't need one at night. I have the what's it called?...Map?"

"Layout?"

"Yeah, the layout of the house in my head. You were a surprise."

Nick chuckled. "I guess so. Why are you still up? You and my daughter aren't getting kissyface again, are you?"

Michael giggled. "No sir. I wanted some water."

"Well, I need to clear my head a little. Why don't I help you to the kitchen?"

"Thank you sir!" The two of them then headed to the kitchen. Jamie and Judy had left five minutes prior.

"Excuse me sir, but why aren't you in a room?"

"I sorta kicked myself out of Judy's room. We had a fight."

"That sucks."

Nick giggled at the remark. "Yes, yes it does."

"I'm excited for tomorrow! It's my turn for daddy day! He's gonna spend time playing with me!"

"That's nice."

"Nice?! There's over 300 of us and he's soooo busy! Getting to spend time with him is super rare and bigger than a Chrismouse present!"

Michael took a big drink. "Okay I'm done! Can you walk me back?"

"Sure. But you have to help me find your room."

On the way back Micheal had a question. "Mr. Nick? Do you know why the other kits have been making fun of me lately?"

"They are? That's mean. What are they doing?!"

"They gave me this stupid nickname and I don't know why!"

"What do they call you?"

"...Next."

 **Next Chapter: The Awkward Breakfast**


	11. Chapter 11: The Awkward Breakfast

Chapter 11: The Awkward Breakfast

*= As told in the final chapter of "A Hole in the Wall"

 **Sunday Oct 26, 6:03am**

 **Feeding Day**

Nick was woken up from his sleep with a sharp pain to his lower back. He turned around only to find Judy. She had kicked him hard to wake him up.

"Get up asshole! Breakfast time."

Nick growled at her. Getting up was now painful as that kick did some damage. "Forget 'ought to', I WILL sue her for abuse!"

Cotton came up to Nick and saw that he was in pain as he was putting on his shirt. Her makeup was still on and smeared all over since she slept like that. "Are you okay daddy?!"

"Judy kicked daddy pretty hard. We had a big fight last night and we broke up."

Cotton looked real mad. "That's mean! I'm gonna go over there and bite her!"

Cotton started heading for Judy when Nick grabbed her. "Oh no you don't! Honey, two wrongs don't make a right. We'll just let it go for now, okay?"

"Okay...but I don't like her anymore!"

"Don't be like that. It's important give people a second chance. I was pretty hot-headed myself last night. We just need to talk it out. Now let's go use Gideon's bathroom and get that makeup off. It's all over you!"

Judy entered the kitchen as Bonnie was cooking breakfast. "What's for breakfast...'mother'."she said with a bit of sarcasm that Bonnie didn't catch.

"The seating arrangement's on the board dear. We're having eggs, flapjacks and tofu mini-sausages."

"Oh sure!" Judy said. "With a nice, big helping of TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF LIES!"

Bonnie dropped her spatula. The truth was out.

"So you finally solved the mystery hunh? I TOLD you to leave it alone. I TOLD you the damage it could do and now look! You're freaking out!"

"YOU'RE DAMN RIGHT I'M FREAKING OUT! I-I-I-I...Who am I to you?! What's my birthday?! Why didn't you EVER tell me this?!"

Bonnie turned around and was whisking the eggs in a bowl. "You're my daughter. You're birthday is April 3rd. Three days before your litter siblings and we...we just couldn't find the right moment."

Judy was weeping and incredibly upset. "The right moment was when I was little and could take this all in! Jack and Jill were my blood uncle and aunt this whole time and never knew! I have blood cousins! I could have been close to them! I could have been the link that kept our families from being divided, but you and dad screwed that all up!"

"I WOULD HAVE LOST YOU!" Bonnie screamed. Tears were running down her face. "Just like I lost that litter to them! I wanted to tell you earlier, I really did but I was so afraid!"

"I would have had family that supported me being a cop instead of holding me back! My REAL parents were brave! My dad was a war hero! MY mom was a spy!"

"And where did that get them?!" Bonnie yelled. "They're both dead!"

Judy slapped her mom hard across the face and the bowl of eggs dropped onto the floor. Judy knew what she did and instantly regretted it.

"Oh God! Mom! Mom, I-I-I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to!"

"Get out of my kitchen!" Bonnie growled.

"I-I'm sorry! Please let me help clean u-"

"OUT!" She screamed. Judy ran out. Bonnie sat in the corner and wept.

Moments later, Nick walked into the kitchen with cotton. He saw Bonnie weeping. "Hey Bonnie! We needed to make sure there was...no...broccoli...what happened?"

"Judy found out she was adopted and sh-she yelled at me! An-and then she slapped me! Me! Her own mother!"

"Cotton, help grandma Bonnie out and pick up the bowl and clean up as best you can, okay?"

"Okay." Cotton said. "Judy's mean! She kicked daddy awake!"

Nick sat next to Bonnie and held her hand. "I didn't know until today just how bad her temper was. We had a big fight last night and she tried to slap me then. Are you okay?"

"I-I guess." Bonnie said while weeping. "I don't know. I guess she's right. I should have told her earlier."

"That's no excuse for hitting you!" Nick said. "She's completely snapped. This is my fault. I told her at the worst possible moment. I'll try to chat with her later. In the meantime, would you like some help?"

Bonnie was still sniffling. "Y-yes! That would be nice."

"Well first, let's dry those tears. Cotton honey, can you come here for second?"

"Sure daddy!" Cotton walked up to Nick and he put her on his lap.

"I need the back of your head." Nick said and he turned her around and then rubbed Bonnie's face into Cotton's wool. They all started to laugh.

"I have towels Nick!" Bonnie chuckled.

"Yes, but it wouldn't have been funny." Nick replied. He got on an apron and helped whisk some more eggs while Cotton got dishes ready and Bonnie started cooking tofu sausage.

"Nick?" Bonnie said. "I take back everything I said last night. I hope you and Judy work things out. You're a darn good man and I really want you in my family."

"Thank you Bonnie." Nick said. "That means the world to me."

Later on, people started gathering around the table. Bonnie let Nick move the seating arrangements. He put Judy across from him, but not next to him. He still wanted to talk with her, but didn't want her close. He put Cotton on one side of him and Jenny on the other to make Judy jealous. Julie and Gideon sat next to Judy and he put the rest of the family randomly on the other side of her including her litter brother, Jesse right next to her. This would prove to be a mistake.

Judy sat down with Julie to the right of her and Jesse to the left. Jesse was getting pretty chubby now, but trying to impress Judy by flexing, mentioning he had been working out more. Despite the millions of lady bunnies around, he was still having troubles getting a steady girl. He and Judy had a past. A past he kept secret, but enjoyed thinking about from time to time.

Judy mainly ignored him and was still reeling from the news. She was also feeling guilty for slapping her own mother or at least, her foster mother. She couldn't stop thinking of what her life would have been like as a Hareson. Would Jack have encouraged her? Would she have felt less oppressed and more free? Then there was Nick. Everything was so great yesterday and now, she could barely stand to look at him. Part of her still loved him, but the other part felt betrayed. Zootopia was her home now, but Nick wanted to drag her back to Bunny Burrow just like her parents.

Nick started to set out plates. Cotton had a hard time getting into her chair, but Jenny helped her. She smiled and rubbed her wool head. Judy could see right through her. She was trying to be more nice and motherly to put up a front around Nick. Finally, Nick, Bonnie and Jamie helped put out the food and everyone sat down.

Judy looked over at her mother who was at the head of the table with her father, Stu.

"I'm so sorry mom!"

"I don't want to talk about it." Bonnie said calmly.

Things went quiet for a little bit, then Judy spoke to Nick. "Could you pass me the pepper?"

"Oh, I don't know." Nick replied sarcastically. "Am I worthy enough? Maybe I need to save the Mayor from a burning building and have my name in lights before I'm possibly worthy enough to pass the great Judy Hopps pepper!"

"Please Nick! Not Now."

Nick realized he was starting to get hot headed. "You're right. I'm sorry." and he passed the pepper over.

Jenny decided to keep up the breakfast talk going in the worst possible way. "So Judy! What's it like knowing you're adopted?!" She said it loud enough for the entire table to hear.

Judy yelled at Nick. "You told her?!"

"N-No! I only talked to Bonnie!" Nick replied.

"I overheard it." Jenny said. "You poor, poor thing! It must be hard on you losing your whole identity!"

"Gee Jenny! You poor thing!" Judy said back. "It must be hard knowing men will only ever love you for your body which will go all flabby in your late forties and then you'll have no one!"

Nick was desperate to change the topic. "Bonnie, these tofu sausages are fantastic!" He then sipped on his orange juice.

"Oh my gosh!" Jesse said. "Do you know what this means?!"

"Don't say it Jesse!" Warned Judy.

"Technically...we DIDN'T have incest!"

Nick spit out his orange juice.

"Daddy, what's 'incest'?" Cotton asked.

"Oooooh boy!" Nick had to think fast. "Ummmmm...It's...It's those nice smelling sticks you burn like candles! Y'know, like that song 'Incest and Peppermints?' "

"Oooh! So that's how the song goes!" Gideon said. "Well ah'll be danged! That's puts a whole new twist on it, ah tell ya whut!"

"Judy! How could you!" Bonnie shouted. "He's your litter brother!"

Judy interrupted. "Okay one, he's not my litter brother! I don't actually have litter siblings now and two, I was 16 and in immense heat! He...he was my first mate. Also, we're rabbits! It's fairly common! You and dad are first cousins!"

"First mate?" Cotton asked. "Like a pirate?"

Nick couldn't believe her innocence and wanted to laugh. "Yes honey, EXACTLY like a pirate. Look, ummm...why don't you sit with the kids a the other table? I'll bring you your food. This conversation's getting a bit...PG-13."

Cotton wobbled over to the other table. "Awww! I wanted to hear about pirate Judy!"

"Speaking of pirates..." Judy said while glancing over at Jenny. "Yo!...Ho. What were you and Nick up to last night?"

"I cooked the eggs!" Nick said, trying to desperately steer the conversation away. "For the love of holy God, does someone want to talk about the eggs?!"

"Don't you worry your pretty, little, hare head." Jenny replied. "He stopped himself before getting to all the bases. He just groped me a little."

Nick had his paws over his face. "Oooooh I am so dead!"

"What the hell is going on?" Asked Stu.

"Well, it's a good thing for you he didn't get too far. You would have been disappointed. Isn't that right 'second place'?" She was referring to the fact that Nick was only the second biggest mate she'd had.

Nick was getting pissed. "Judy. Don't start this. I'm warning you. Let's keep this civil."

Judy picked up a tiny, Vienna-sized tofu sausage. "Hey look! It's your shaft!"

That did it. Nick made a fake, sarcastic laugh. "HAAAHAHAHA! Real funny. Real damn funny!" He then picked up his plate of two flapjacks and held them at a horizontal angle. "Look! It's your breasts! No, wait." He took off one flapjack. "Okay NOW it's your breasts!"

Stu was trying to de-esculate the situation. "Y'know what? I think it would be a good idea if we all just calmed down and changed the subject."

"Y'know what would a good idea?!" Nick said. "Not telling your family for over a year, A YEAR! That your partner was a fox! Like you're ashamed of him! Oh! Oh! And then deciding out of the blue to kick him out of his own apartment and take over the lease, then letting him stay as a guest like you're doing him a damn charity!"*

"You know what's an even BETTER idea?"Judy asked. "Adopting a child out of the blue WITHOUT any consideration to your girlfriend who specifically told you NOT to adopt anyone! Oh, but not just ANY child, but the niece of my worst enemy AND she's handicapped which will bring a ton of expensive medical problems with it! This is irreversible! She'll be with us, with YOU forever! NOT ONLY THAT! But we live in a one-room apartment. Where the hell is she going to sleep?!"

Nick hung his head down. "Touche'. In all honesty though, I did try to call you at one point, but there's like...ZERO bars out here!" Nick pulled out his cell phone. "I STILL can't get a signal!"

Stu and Bonnie looked at each other. "Yeah, the town's been having a problem with that too!" Stu said. "The cell towers have been down for weeks! Luckily, we have our own cell tower at the factory."

"Yeah!" said Gideon. "That's how me and Julie were able ta talk yesterday. Kinda our own, private family plan!"

"So NO ONE without connections to your tower can contact the outside world?" Nick asked.

"Well..." Gideon thought. "They could by land line but hardly anyone uses that anymore!"

Judy interrupted. "Well...you STILL could have come home and discussed this first OR used Gideon's phone!"

"I know, I know." Nick replied. "It's just...when I found out it was Dawn's niece, I felt a bit responsible for her being there. On top of that she REALLY wanted out of there that very day and...and...she's sooo adorable! Her sad eyes just made me melt! I couldn't help myself! Look, we need to have a long talk, but for now, can we please...PLEASE stop fighting at the table?...For your parents sake?"

Judy sighed "I guess. I just...I can't look at you right now. I'm going outside for some fresh air!" Judy stormed out the door.

"Well this was the second most awkward breakfast we've had." Stu said.

"What was the most awkward?" Bonnie asked,.

"Those hillbilly cousins of yours. Remember?"

"Oh yeah." Bonnie replied. "There was definitely some incest going on in THAT family!"

"Right on the kitchen table!" Stu added.

Judy stood just outside the house. It was getting cold and some of the storm going on in Zootopia was spreading out to Bunny Burrow. A light rain fell so Judy decided to stay under an awning. Judy watched as the newsboy dropped off the paper. She quickly grabbed it to keep the paper from getting wet, plus she wanted to read the Sunday funnies. She looked at the front page of the newspaper.

 _ **The Burrow Times**_

 _THIRD MONTH OF QUARANTINE_

 _The third month of mandatory quarantine is in effect. All citizens are to remain in Bunny Burrow unless given special permission by the mayor or Stu Farms. Go to the nearest hospital if you show any signs of infection. Tell no outside family members._

Curious, Judy skipped ahead.

 _DON'T FORGET! TODAY IS FEEDING DAY_

 _Keep all of your wanted children inside from 12pm to 3pm_

 _Check page 53 for a list of fun, indoor activities._

 _Remember. Do not resist!_

Judy was about to go inside when she noticed a giant "X" on the front lawn. She was concerned and had a lot of questions.

"What the hell is going on in this town?!"

 **Next Chapter: Church Chat**


	12. Chapter 12: Damage Control

Chapter 12: Damage Control

 **Author's Note: I have received some really good and important input as of late. As an amateur narrative writer, it's just as important to get negative feedback as it is positive if not more so. I can only improve if I get input on what I'm doing wrong.**

 **With that in mind, several of you have been telling me that the pacing is off. That I've been moving things too fast. My main strengths have been comedy and action and those tend to be faster-paced, but with this being a drama, I agree. I need to slow things down.**

 **While people tend to act angry and irrational in a fight, I do agree that Nick and Judy are being over-emotional. Especially Nick's part of the the fight where he went a bit overboard. My original intent was to make a good chunk of it his fault. I do tend to write Nick as too nice and wanted to give him flaws like I do Judy, but I think I went too far with that.**

 **That said, I'm gonna be pulling the reigns back a bit and slowing the pace down while also making our main protagonists act a bit more mature and forgiving while still angry with each other.**

 **I'm also gonna stop putting "Next Chapter" ads in as things tend to change. For instance, the church scene won't be until the next chapter now.**

 **Sunday morning, 7:34am**

Judy had stormed outside just a few minutes before. Nick decided to help out and pick up some of the dirty dishes and bring them into the kitchen. The fight from the night before and this morning at the breakfast table had been stirring in his mind. He was starting to realize just how much of it was his own fault. He rushed headlong into an adoption without any consideration to Judy. He proposed to her just 24 hours after them being an item when she was far from ready to commit. He cursed at her. Hurt her arm. Told her the truth about her adoption at the worst possible moment. Worst of all, made out with her sister in an angry fit of passion.

He then realized who was also at fault. Stu Hopps.

It was his idea that he propose to Judy. He really sold him on it. How peaceful it was between foxes and rabbits, the joke of a law system he and Judy could easily replace and just feeling like part of the family. Was this his plan all along? Did he sucker Nick into proposing too fast so he'd get rejected? Maybe Stu is smarter than he looks. Maybe not.

" _Nick, you may have just gotten hustled."_ He thought to himself. _"Or, you're just a dumb ass."_

Then he saw Judy enter the kitchen backwards and with a newspaper behind her back as if she were hiding it. She was talking to someone at the table.

"Okay, mom! I'll get ready for church soon. Again, I'm really sorry for earlier!" She turned around and saw Nick washing dishes in an apron.

"Good! I'm glad you're here. We need to talk."

Nick was both surprised and excited. "Good! Because I need to apologize for quite a few things from last night. Would you like me to grovel? Because I'm an excellent groveler!"

"...Nick."

"My uncle was a paid, professional groveler. He got slapped and spat on but the pay was.."

"NICK!"

"I just...I just wanna take back almost everything I did and said last night and start over."

" 'Almost?!' " Judy said with a sneer. "You can't take back Cotton or what you did with Jenny!"

Nick bowed his head and dipped his ears low. "No...no I can't. But you said some hurtful stuff last night! Jenny was just...I was hurt and she was there."

Judy sighed. "Now's not the time for this. Look at this paper!"

Judy handed Nick the morning paper. "A quarantine? Then how did we get in?"

Judy pointed at the paper. "You have to have permission from the mayor or my dad. He met us at the station so that was approval enough."

Nick kept reading. "'Feeding Day?' Gideon told me it was a holiday!"

"Does it sound like a holiday?" Judy asked.

"With the whole 'keeping your children inside' and 'don't resist'? No. It doesn't. Look at this wording. 'WANTED children'. Sounds ominous. What does that mean?"

"It means something bad's happening in my tiny town and I need to figure out what it is!"

Nick smiled. "Are we actually working together again to solve a case?"

Judy wasn't amused. "Don't get your hopes up! I'm trying to solve this little case myself, but...I need your help."

"Why don't you just ask your mom and dad? Or a member of your family?"

"Because they've been acting a bit strange since we got here, especially dad. If I ask them directly, they may lie about it and try to redirect my attention. The rest of the family might be in on it too and keeping it secret. I need to find out through other methods."

"Gideon's DEFINITELY been acting shifty around me. I'm sure he's lying." Nick gave a sly grin. "Look at you Fluff! Finally using your detective skills."

"Don't get chummy with me! I'm still mad at you y'know?!"

Nick backed off. "I know. What do you want me to do, detective Carrots?"

"We have zero internet out here. Jesse told me their Wi-Fi isn't working. I need access to look things up. That's where you come in. I need you to steal Gideon's phone. It's one of the few things that works right now."

"Me? A common thief?" Nick said sarcastically. "You wound me, lady!"

Judy chuckled in spite of herself which only made her mad again. "Knock it off! Look, whatever's going down, we need to find out before noon. I need you to chum up to Gideon and get me that phone!"

"Not a problem." Nick said. "If we were any chummier, I'd have proposed to him instead of you."

"Remember..." Judy warned. "He may have been lying to you. Don't trust him."

"I know." Nick said. "But my instincts tell me he's a good fox."

He went to leave, but then turned around. "Are we...are we still friends at least?"

"No!...I don't know. I'm still REALLY mad about last night and Jenny!"

"I know. I went too far by going to Jenny, but it was because I was hurt too! I could accept the proposal being too soon, but being because I haven't done enough to be worth it?! What the hell do I have to.."

Nick calmed himself. "I'm sorry I cursed and yelled. It was immature. However, I'm glad I told you about my dad. I was holding that back for almost twenty years and it felt like a dam had burst open. I never cried so hard in my life!"

"And when I tried to comfort you, you slapped my hand away." Judy remarked.

Nick looked away. "I know. I was just...I've never been that emotional before. Sorry."

"...Nick?"

"Yes?"

Judy put her ears down. "...Cotton really is adorable."

Nick gave a gentle smile. "She is, isn't she?" He left shut the door gently and left.

He turned around only to see Cotton playing with a few kits. "Speak of the adorable."

There were some kits all around her asking her questions. "Does it hurt?"

"No." Cotton said. "I just can't balance to walk straight. But check this out! I can high-three my own foot!"

She kicked forward and had her hand hooves slap her feet hooves. The other children laughed and tried to do it themselves only for them to fall over. They all started giggling.

Nick walked over to her. "There's my little lamb chop!" Nick picked her and gave her a hug. "Are you getting along with the other children?"

"Yes Daddy! We're having fun!" She looked down. "Some of them tease."

"Kits will be kits." Nick said. "It's normal for little ones to tease. Don't let it get to you."

He set her down gently. "I have to confess something. I want to always be honest with you when I can. When you asked those questions at the breakfast table, I had to lie to you."

Cotton looked concerned. "Why did you lie?"

"Because that stuff they were saying is grown up stuff and...it would be very hard for you to understand right now. I just wanted to let you know that I lied to protect you, not hurt your feelings. Okay?"

Cotton was still confused, but she at least understood Nick wasn't hurting her feelings. "Okay, I guess."

"Good." Nick said. He then looked around the room. He realized that the one person who would always be honest with him was right in front of him. He could finally get the information he needed for him and Judy.

"Cotton honey, what's 'Feeding Day' and what's up with the quarantine?"

Cotton shivered. "It's HORRIBLE! They put a giant 'X' on the lawn,then.."

"NICK, BUDDY! HOW Y'ALL DOIN'?!" Gideon came in at the worst possible moment.

Nick decided now was as good a time as ever to try and swipe the phone. "Giddyup! My redneck red fox!" He gave Gideon a big hug and quickly patted his bottom to look for the phone. He found it and quickly swiped it into his own back pocket.

Gideon was a little concerned. "Hey uhhh...Nick? Ah know we're close, but...please don't go touchin' mah butt, thank ya kindly!"

"Sorry! You're a little bigger than me so I patted your back at the wrong spot."

Just then Nick heard the sound of sniffling. He looked over and saw Cotton. Her face was beat red. Tears were forming around her eyes. She had a look of anger and betrayal on her face.

" _Oh no!"_ Nick thought. _"She caught me stealing the phone!"_

"THIEF!" Cotton screamed. "BAD DADDY!" She took her crutches and hobbled away as fast as she could to the children's room, crying all the way.

"Wut th' heck was that all about?" Gideon asked.

"Not sure." Nick replied. "But I'll talk to her later."

Nick decided to try and test Gideon's honesty. He had a good eye for when someone was lying to him and he knew for sure that Gideon was lying to him yesterday. Judy didn't want him asking questions, but Nick slid it in like he already knew the answer, much like him and Judy did with Manchas a year ago in the Rainforest district.

"So, that quarantine! Crazy hunh? I wonder how long it's gonna last?"

"Ah! Y'know 'bout that hunh?" Gideon said. "Can't say fer sure. E-Bunya's a pretty serious disease and they want ta make sure it's contained. No other bunnies have reported symptoms though."

Gideon's mannerism's were telling Nick he was being honest. There was no fidgeting. No shifty eyes.

"But don't 'chew worry none! It's only deadly to bunnies, so you and Cotton 'er okay. Judy too now that we know she's a hare! Only problem is that the poor foxes moving in can't go back out onna count of them bein' a possible carrier. It's been goin' on for months now, so it shouldn't last much longer."

Nick joked. "Foxes check in, but they don't check out. Gotcha."

"Anyways, me and muh angel want ta invite you and Cotton ta church with us! She converted me ta bein' a Bunian."

Nick chuckled. " 'Bunian?' "

Gideon got a little mad. "Don't make fun!"

"Sorry I guess I put my foot in my mouth." Nick joked.

"Ah only converted fer Julie's sake. The pastor speaks a little poorly 'bout foxes sometimes. But the rest of the congregation treats me real nice and the hymns are pleasant. You should go with us!"

"Go to Bunian church? I guess I cloud dip my toes in."

"...Y'all ain't gonna stop with the foot jokes, are ya?"

"They write themselves Giddyup."

Meanwhile, Judy went to talk with her mom and dad who were getting ready for church. Bonnie was helping Stu put on his bow tie. As one of the more important men in town, it was important for him to look classy.

"Stop fidgeting Stu or this will take forever!" Bonnie said.

"Then stop choking me!" Stu replied.

"...Hey guys." Judy said somberly.

"Look out honey! It's slap-happy Judy!" Stu joked.

"STU!"

"Sorry dear. Just trying to lighten the mood." Stu said.

Judy jumped into her mothers arms and gave her a huge hug and wept. "Momma! I'm so sorry!"

Bonnie hugged her back. "It's okay dear. I know you didn't mean it. But you HAVE to control that temper of yours! I hope Nick hasn't seen this side of you too often!"

Judy sniffled. "No...Well, sometimes, but I play it off like a joke. I'm usually in control but...all this news today and the fight! I woke Nick this morning by deliberately kicking him in the lower back! I'm horrible! I feel like I'm falling apart!"

Bonnie rubbed Judy's back. "You're not horrible dear, you just have a problem with your temper. Finding out you're adopted didn't exactly help things either!"

"Bonnie's right honey." Stu added. "We've told you before that you should go to anger management. You've given two of your brothers black eyes! I can only imagine how you treat the folks you arrest!"

"Maybe you're right." Judy said. "As a cop, I need to be under control at all times."

"That's right dear." Stu said. "Also, don't give up on Nick just yet. He's a good man and he just wants what's best for you!"

"I don't care how good he is for me, I'm NOT staying in Bunny Burrow and I'll never forgive him for making out with Jenny!"

Judy gave it some thought. Part of her still loved Nick. "But maybe...maybe we can still be friends."

Stu smiled. "That's my girl! Now you run along and get ready pumpkin! It's almost time to go."

"Okay dad! I'll be going with Jamie! See you there!" Judy then ran out the door.

Bonnie looked over at Stu suspiciously. " 'Don't give up on Nick?' Isn't that the same advice you gave Jenny when she came in here?"

"I just want all my bases covered dear. We need a big enough army to fight those damn hawks and foxes like Gideon and Nick are expendable! I don't want to lose any more family members than I have to!"

This upset Bonnie greatly and she slapped Stu across the face. "If our marriage hadn't been arranged, I would have NEVER fallen for a coward like you! We should be fighting them now! I don't want Michael to die!" She then stormed out the door.

Stu rubbed the sore spot of his cheek. "Well, now I know where Judy gets her temper from."


	13. Chapter 13: Church Chat

Chapter 13: Church Chat

 **Sunday morning, 9:15am**

Nick went to find Cotton. She wasn't in the room with the children and calling her hadn't produced any result. He was getting worried. He knew Cotton was upset with her for stealing Gideon's phone, but he hadn't had the chance to explain.

"Cotton! Honey, please come out. We need to get ready for church!"

"She's over here!" A familiar voice sounded out.

Nick went into the room. There was Jenny sitting on the edge of the bed. Cotton was sitting on her lap, sobbing.

"She's really upset with you."

"I know." Nick said with a somber tone. "I had to sneak Gideon's phone away for Judy and she saw me."

"You STOLE it!" Cotton said angrily through her tears.

Nick knelt down "I had to borrow it without his knowledge so Judy can get on the internet. No one's telling us the truth about 'Feeding Day'!"

Jenny looked away.

"You too?" Nick said.

"We're under oath." Jenny said. "If we talk to you about it, we're...we're disowned from the family. I just hope you don't hate us once you know the truth."

Nick gritted his fangs. "Damn Stu!"

Nick rubbed Cotton's wool. "Honey, can you tell me about..."

"I'm not talking to you anymore." Cotton said she buried her face into Jenny's shoulder and refused to look at him. Nick's heart sunk. His little girl had lost faith in him.

"Sweetie, we need to get ready for church."

No response.

"You know what church is, right? It's a place of faith. Faith comes from a place of trust. I need you to trust me that I'm doing the right thing even when I'm doing something that might seem bad."

She remained quiet.

He drooped his ears and sighed.

"I'll get her ready." Jenny said. "She can come with me if...if that's okay."

Nick was surprised at the softness and caring in Jenny's voice. It was like he was seeing a different woman.

"Jenny."

She couldn't look at Nick. She felt a bit ashamed of herself. "I...I know I came on strong yesterday and I was AWFUL to Judy at the table this morning. It's just..." She sniffled a little. "I'm desperate! I'm 32 years old, getting fat and unmarried. Judy's considered an old maid at 25. I'm ANCIENT! Sure, I've had a lot of men, but none of them stay. They just have their fun and leave! I...I want a family! I want to be a mother."

Nick knelt by the bed and rubbed Jenny's shoulder. "What happened to that tramp from last night and who replaced her with this sweet, emotional woman?"

Jenny smiled. She looked deep into his eyes.

"Jenny...pardon me for saying, but I don't think you keep a man long because you put a mask over your true self. News flash, but most men want something more than just mating. They want substance. This version of you I see? This is the REAL you and it's far more beautiful than the sleazy gal who tried to win me over last night."

"Th-thank you." She sniffled.

"No problem. Cotton's had those old clothes on since yesterday. I seriously need to do some shopping for her. Do any of the kits have something she can wear?"

Bonnie replied. "I'm sure some of my little sisters have some old clothes that might fit her. I may have to tailor them a bit since her head's larger than most of them."

"Thanks Jenny, you're a life saver! I better get ready myself. I only got one non-tacky shirt and this striped tie, so I better hurry."

"Okay." Jenny said. "If you see Judy, tell her I'm sorry for...y'know...everything."

Nick gave a gentle smile. "I will."

Nick had to leave. Jenny was unintentionally attracting him, but this time in all the right ways. He gave her one more look.

"Jenny...If me and Judy can't work things out..."

"I'll be waiting." Jenny said. "But not long, hopefully."

 **9:45am**

"Nick!" Gideon shouted. "Git yer rear in gear! We're gonna be late!"

"Coming!" Nick shouted. He wore a plain, white dress shirt and was adjusting his tie. It had been a long time since he'd tied it proper as he normally just loped it over his head and let it hang loose.

Gideon saw it and realized how bad it looked. He grabbed Nick's tie and helped him adjust it himself.

"Didn't yer father ever teach you how ta tie a tie proper?!"

"My dad's been dead for 18 years." Nick said.

Gideon's ears drooped. He knew he touched a soft spot without meaning to. "Ah'm...ah'm sorry."

Nick smiled. "It's okay. You didn't know."

Gideon finished fixing Nick's tie. "Thanks Giddyup." Nick said.

"Whar's yer little one?" Gideon asked.

"Cotton's not speaking to me". Nick said with some sadness in his voice. "Jenny's gonna take her and we'll meet up in church."

"Sorry ta hear." Gideon said. "She did yell out somethin' 'bout you bein' a thief."

"It's a long story. I'll explain it to you later."

" _With an apology."_ Nick thought.

"Well c'mon! Julie's in the truck waitin' and the motor's runnin',taking up a load of gas. Watch out fer the puddles."

It was still lightly raining. As they walked to the truck, Gideon asked Nick for a favor. "Ah hope ya don't mind, but Ah got a bunch o' pies under the tarp of mah truck that need deliverin' outside of town and ah wuz hopin' you and Cotton would like ta tag along!"

Nick thought about it. "Well, with how Judy feels about me right now, some distance might be a good idea."

"Good!" Said Gideon. "Jus' remember ta bring Cotton. Thar's a nice clothin' store outside of town."

They then got into the truck.

 **9:55am**

The family arrived at the parking lot of the church. The parking lot was filled for almost half a mile with cars. Despite being late, Nick and Gideon were able to park in the reserved "Hopps Family" lot that Stu paid a pretty penny to the church for.

Nick saw Judy and made a bee-line for her while Gideon was helping Julie out of the truck. Nick couldn't just toss her the phone so he went past her and faced against her, back to back like a spy thriller. It was believable since people knew they were still angry with each other.

"Judy."

"Nick."

He tapped her back and gave her the phone. She reached around and put in her pocket.

Nick whispered to her. "The quarantine is legit. E-Bunya virus. They got a few people in the hospital for it."

Judy angrily whispered through her teeth. "I TOLD you! I'll solve this myself!"

"You can't just PLAY detective, Carrots! Lives may be at stake."

"I KNOW! But I have to prove this to myself. Don't interfere! Go. Sit with your new girlfriend."

"Jenny's NOT my girlfriend. And she's sorry for the way she acted."

"Yeah, she's SORRY alright." Judy said sarcastically.

Nick just rolled his eyes and went to go look for Cotton and Jenny.

On the way into the church, Gideon passed by Judy. "Hey thar' Jude Bug!" He put his paw on her shoulder and leaned in to whisper into her ear.

"The password is 'Angel'. Good luck."

Judy's eyes widened and her ears shot straight up. _"He knows!"_

The church was packed tighter than a fire marshal would normally allow. Rows and rows of bunny ears as far as the eyes can see. Nick went to sit with the rest of the Hopps family when Gideon pulled at his arm.

"Sorry brother, that ain't fer the likes of us."

Nick was confused until Gideon led him to the very back row of the church that had a big sign titled _Fox Section._ Even for Zootopia, this would be considered insulting. They could barely see the stage from where they stood but then, they couldn't see it at all when they sat down. Nothing but rows upon rows of bunny ears like a furry forest.

Nick couldn't believe it. The Fox initiative didn't solve all problems for foxes in Bunnyburrow. That's for sure.

" _The more things change, the more they stay the same."_

Jenny came by and dropped Cotton off into Nick's lap. Cotton was squirming and mad. "I'm sorry, but the church doesn't allow bunnies and foxes to sit together."

"What the he-"

"Yer in church!" Gideon yelled under his breath.

"Sorry."

Cotton squirmed. "I don't wanna sit with you! I wanna sit with Jenny!"

"Cotton please behave! We're in church!"

Gideon leaned over and whispered into Cotton's ear.

She was confused, but happy. "Are you sure it's okay?"

"Yeah darlin'! Ah'm not sure what's goin' on, but ah trust 'em.."

Cotton perked up. "Are you really sure?"

Gideon nodded. Cotton gave her father a huge hug. Nick was shocked.

"I-I'm sorry daddy! You were right! I should have faith in you!"

Nick held her tight. His eyes were starting to mist. He looked over at Gideon.

"I don't know what you did but...thank you!"

"T'wernt nothin'!"

Just then, someone tapped Nick's shoulder. It was another fox. He was fairly young-looking, orange-furred except for a bright, red tail. The fox gave Nick his paw to shake.

"How are you? I'm Thomas Redtail."

Nick shook his paw. "Nick Wilde."

"Are you new here?" Redtail asked.

"VERY new! I'm just visiting from Zootopia."

"I came in from Vulpesberg because of the 'fox initiative tax break'. I just moved in three months ago, but I got a big job as the assistant mayor!"

"Wow! Such a big job so fast! You seem young for an assistant Mayor."

"Thank you! I'm 25 actually. The former assistant mayor resigned hastily and they offered the position to me. Personally, I think the mayor just wants the fox vote this November."

" _This is sounding familiar."_ Thought Nick. "Do you like your job?"

"It's okay. Mayor Bucktooth tends to treat me like dirt though. He calls me 'Redfail' all the time. I called him 'Sucktooth' once and hoo-boy! That was a mistake!"

"Deja vu!" Nick said out loud.

"What?"

"Nothing. Just promise me you won't turn into an evil mastermind. Okay?"

Redtail was confused. "Ummmm...okay?"

"So..." Nick asked."You got a 'bunian' girl up in the better seats too?"

"I wish! I just want to get to know the people more and so I thought I'd soak in the local customs."

"Smart man!" Nick said. Then he realized that Thomas had no ties to Stu at all. He could get the answers he seeks.

"Tom. Mind if I call you Tom? Can you tell me anything about this 'Feeding Day'?"

Redtail was shocked. "Oh man! You don't know?! It's terrifying! The bunnies have to put a giant 'X' on the lawn in front of their house, then around noon, a..."

"WELCOME MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS!" Pastor Leporidae, an old-fashioned, 'fire and brimstone' type preacher had started. They used big, loud speakers to drown out any small talk around the giant building so everyone was forced to only hear him..

" _Great!"_ Nick thought. _"Feeding Day-blocked again!"_

The pastor went into several different scriptures from the Book of Bunny. They sang several hymns. The pastor then irresponsibly went into how it's still important to reproduce despite the ridiculous population climb that's been affecting their environment. He went on and on about the 'evils' of birth control and how 'The seed must not be spilled' which still sounded gross to Nick ears. But then, the pastor went on a huge tirade that would not sit well with Nick at all.

"...For we must continue to multiply to strengthen our reserve! Not only against those demons with talons!...But with those devils we've foolishly let into our homes!"

" _No, old rabbit. Please don't go there!"_ Nick thought.

"Devils with red fur!"

" _You bastard!"_

"We've been foolish enough to let them mingle among us! They pretend to love us, to respect us while waiting for their chance to stab us in the back! My friends, they don't deserve our love! They don't deserve our respect! But what are we doing? Letting them mate with our daughters! Our sons! Letting their filth and disease into our homes! It's sick! Unnatural! And one of the greatest sins we face today!"

Nick had enough. If no other fox will do it, he'll tell the pastor off himself. He pointed at the pastor and opened his mouth to speak.

"YOU SHUT THE HELL UP, FATHER LEPORIDAE!"

That did not come from Nick, who was now frozen in shock. It came from a middle-aged rabbit near the front row.

Silence filled the room. All eyes fell on Bonnie Hopps.


	14. Chapter 14: What Needs To Be Said

Chapter 14: What Needs to be Said

 **Sunday 10:55am**

The classroom in the orphanage was very dark. Only a small amount of sunlight cracked through the thick curtains and into the room. Many of the desks had been thrown around the room in different violent fits Scratch had in previous days. Only one desk remained upright, the desk where Scratch the hyena sat. She sat with her arms folded in and her head down. Her shoulders bobbing up and down while tears fell off the slant of the desk like a waterfall. She was scared. Scared, but with no regrets. She saved the crippled lamb's life by taking her place and now, within an hour, she would be taken away forever. She would die.

Light came through a crack in the door. Mary, the doe nun had arrived.

"It's time my child. We must make preparations. First, we must pray."

"I-I-I don't wanna go!" Scratch sobbed.

The nun glared at her disapprovingly. "You volunteered, remember? You saved Christine's life."

"But I'm going to die!" She said through her tears.

The nun knelt down before her. "I know. I'll make sure your sacrifice for Christine is known by all of the children. I'll make sure they see you as a savior and not the monster they think you are!"

Scratch sniffled. "Thank you."

As they exited the room, Scratch pulled herself behind Mary in fear. There, standing before them was the girl Scratch was most of afraid of. If Scratch gave the children nightmares then this girl was the nightmare's nightmare. She was dressed in white and red. She had dyed crimson hair as a reminder of what Scratch had done to her, but the most striking feature was the mask she wore. The art style of the mask was unique. It was a rabbit mask, with just eyes and ears, but otherwise, it lacked detail save for some red markings on the white mask and narrow slits were the eyes were. Scratch was trembling in fear.

A scratchy, young voice came from behind the mask. "You think you get to be a martyr now?"

Scratch couldn't look at her. "L-leave me alone!"

The mysterious figure got closer. "I want you to remember what you've done! When you have your final moments, I want my face to be burned into your memory in the afterlife!"

Mary got in front of her. "That's enough Rose! Respect her final moments!"

Rose grabbed Mary and threw her to the ground. The rabbit looked up at Scratch who now had her back to the wall.

"Look at me!"

Scratch had tears flowing through her shut eyes. She didn't want to see the horror.

"Please Rose! Please! I'm so sorry!"

Rose removed her mask. Her face was a mangled mash of scars and matted bits of fur. Part of her mouth was missing it's lips and only one eye could open because the other one was scarred over.

"NOT SORRY ENOUGH! NEVER SORRY ENOUGH! LOOK AT WHAT YOU DID! LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT MEEE!"

Scar ran away from her. She ran so fast it was making her legs ache. She saw the wire fence and leaped over it. She looked around and found the "X" and ran to it. There, she finally laid down in a heap and wept.

Moments earlier...

"YOU SHUT THE HELL UP, FATHER LEPORIDAE!"

Bonnie herself couldn't believe those words were coming from her, but she said it and she meant it. The middle-aged bunny mother couldn't stand by and listen anymore to the pastor's bigoted ravings.

"How dare you swear in a church of God!" Shouted the pastor.

"Oh please! You've said 'hell' about 5 times in this sermon alone!" Bonnie stated. "And how dare YOU! Foxes are good, hardworking people that this church has seen to treat like dirt!"

Bonnie started to have tears in her eyes. She saw Nick standing in the back. "That fox back there with the little lamb. I treated him like GARBAGE last night! _SNIFF!_ I acted just like you! I saw him and my daughter kiss a-a-and told him it was disgusting, unnatural and a sin and do you know what he did? He THANKED me! He thanked me for being honest with him and said even... _SNIFF!_...even if I still hate him, he'd still love me! Then, this morning he helped me cook breakfast and set the table despite all the horrible things I sad!"

The pastor interrupted. "You are falling for his deceit and trickery! That's what they do!"

"I'M NOT DONE YET!" Bonnie yelled. "Then there's my future son in-law, Gideon." Bonnie looked in the back. "Stand up, honey!"

Gideon sheepishly stood up. He was obviously embarrassed. "Uhhhh...heh-heh Howdy y'all!"

Bonnie continued. "Now sure, when he was a child, he was a bully to my Judy. But now, I've seen him become this warm, sweet man who's only 'sins' are his love of baking and coming up with the sweetest things to say to my daughter Julie!"

"You would dare invite the man who was a bully to your daughter into your home?!"

"It's called 'forgiveness' pastor! Something you know nothing of! You speak of multiplying during an overpopulation crisis and hating on those who willingly come to our church and pray with us! Your words are dangerous and hateful and I will no longer be a member of a church that has YOU as a pastor!"

"Is that so?" The pastor said. "That's just fine then!"

He turned to the sea of bunnies in the audience. "I vanquish this sinner from our house of God! If any of you feel the same, then you can get up out of your seat and join her out the door!"

To the pastors dismay, over half the congregation stood up and started heading for the exits.

"W-WAIT! WAIT! My brothers and sisters! Perhaps, I was a little bit hasty in my words! Wait! Come back!" It didn't help. More stood up.

Nick and Gideon started walking out the door and Nick stopped by the pastor. He made a mocking shake with his fists. "Curse those red-furred devils!" He said with a smile. "Nice sermon pastor. I'm sure you're gonna go far in this town!"

Stu still sat at the pew. Bonnie was furious. "Stu! Get up now!"

"But Bonnie dear! Those parking spots are paid up until the end of the year!"

Bonnie gave him a death stare that sent chills down his spine.

"Stu! Off the pew or we're through!"

"Y-yes dear!" Stu jumped off the pew as fast as he could.

Judy chuckled at the whole thing. "My mom's a poet and don't know it!" She was disappointed that she didn't see the Haresons there. She really wanted to have a long talk with them and hope that her connection to both families can help make a bridge of forgiveness. She decided she'll talk to them tomorrow.

Outside, everyone started heading to their cars. Cotton went over to Michael and giggled as he squashed the wool on her face. Gideon looked a bit worried and went over to Nick.

"Nick? Ah may have been holdin' back some things from you yesterday, but ah I need you to trust me when ah say we HAVE ta bring Cotton with us at all costs!Do NOT let her go back home with Stu!"

Nick was a little worried. "Why? You make it sound like life and death!"

"It kinda is." Gideon gave Nick a pleading look. "Please. Ah'll explain everythin' when we're away from here."

Stu walked up to Cotton and Michael. "Well just look at this cute couple! Say Cotton, why don't you come home with us and you can spend some play time with Michael and the others?"

"I'd like that!" Cotton said cheerfully.

Gideon walked by. "Sorry sweetheart, but yer daddy want's you ta come with us and get some new clothes!"

Stu had a furious look on his face. He talked through his teeth. "Nick can always get her size and buy her clothes himself!"

Gideon gave Stu an angry glare. "We're guys! What do we know 'bout girls clothes?!"

Stu pulled Gideon aside and talked to the family as he was walking past. "Excuse us for a sec."

Nick walked up to Cotton. "Cotton honey, I REALLY need you to come with us. Okay?"

"Awww! But I wanna play with Michael!"

"You'll have plenty of time to play with Michael when we come home. We won't be too long. I promise!"

Stu and Gideon argued in the corner.

Stu yelled through his gritted teeth so as to not be overheard. "What the HELL are you doing?! We need that little lamb or else I'll have to sacrifice one of my sons!"

Gideon got in Stu's face. "And fer the last time, I said NO! Ah am sorry fer your loss. Ah really am and ah wish things were different but Nick's a brand new father and a damn good one! Ah won't let Cotton die!"

Stu was furious. "You're through! When you get home, pack up your stuff and leave! You and Julie will get married in a shack if at all!"

"Pardon mah...Spanish er whatever, but fuck you Stu! Ah still hold the patent on mah pies and ah'll start mah own bakery! You never paid me shit anyhow! A'hm sick of bein' yer little stooge! Me and Julie will be just fine without you!"

Gideon looked over at Cotton. "Get ready ta go darlin'! We'll be out of town and won't be back until after three!"

Cotton's ears perked straight up. She knew that any time after three meant it was safe outside again. "After three?! Okay! Let's go daddy!" Nick grabbed Cotton and carried her to the truck.

Gideon went to leave, when Stu grabbed his arm.

"This isn't over." Stu said. "Remember...you just killed Michael!"

Those words hit Gideon hard. But he knew there was nothing he could do. He went and got in the driver's seat of the truck.

Nick saw the depressed look on his face. "What's going on?"

"Stu just disowned me."

"For what?!"

"Ah'll tell ya everythin' once we get outta Bunnyburrow, includin' 'Feedin' Day'. You aint gonna like what you hear, ah guarantee ya! Ah just hope Judy finds that information fer herself on mah phone!"

Nick ears perked up. "WHAT?!"

As they took off, Gideon smiled. "Nick, ah'm sure ya'll was a great con man in yer day, but yer a lousy thief. I GAVE you that phone! Now let's get outta this town and ah'll tell ya everythin'!"

They then took off in the truck towards the Bunnyburrow border.

Meanwhile, Judy was in the back seat of one of the Hopps stretch limos. She was frantically trying to open up Gideon's phone, but the password wasn't working.

" 'Angel'...nothing...'angel' lower case...still nothing!...'ANGEL' all caps...shit!"

Julie was wondering what Judy was up to. "What are you doing Judy? You KNOW your phone has no signal out here, right?"

Judy panicked and quickly put the phone away. "R-right! Right! I was just playing 'Roady-Cross'! Don't need online access for that!"

The limo took off for home. Judy realized she'd have to wait for someplace private to try and get into the phone. There was also a bigger problem. She only had one more try before the phone locked itself.

" _Dammit Gideon! If the password is 'angel', why isn't it working?!"_

Meanwhile, Stu kept to himself on the drive home. He got on on his cell phone.

Bonnie looked concerned. She saw a lot of anger in Stu's eyes.

"Stu honey, are you okay?"

"Just fine dear." Stu said with a nasty grin. "I just need to make a phone call."

 **Sunday 11:40am**

Gideon and Nick had almost reached the border pass. Nick was apologizing up and down.

"Gideon, I'm really, REALLY sorry! But no one was giving me and Judy information!"

"Fer the last dang time, it's okay! Trust me, once we pass here and ah tell you the truth, ah'll be the one doin' all the apologizin'!"

They got to the checkpoint. An ewe was guarding the station.

"Please state your business and show us your card."

"Gideon Gray from Stu Farms! Ah'm just deliverin' some pies and pickin' up some boxes fer the plant!"

The ewe checked out his card. "Hmmm Ah! Mr. Grey! Hello again! Yes. Everything checks out."

Just then the phone rang. "Hold on one moment...Yes?...Hello Mr. Hopps!...Oh no!...Are you sure?"

Gideon looked at Nick with terror in his eyes. "We might have ta make a run fer it!"

Nick looked panicked. "...What?!"

The Ewe spoke to Gideon. "Sir you and your passengers are carriers! Please step out of the vehicle!"

"Damn you, Stu!" Gideon started to back the truck up fast. Several guards spilled out and started firing dart guns at the windows of the truck.

Nick was ducking down. "What the hell?! This is insane!"

Cotton was screaming. "EEEEE! Daddy! What's going o-"

One of the darts hit Cotton in the arm. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head and her tongue flopped out just as she passed out in her seat.

"COTTON!" Nick screamed.

"It's okay Nick!" Gideon said. "They're rabbit-sized doses! She'll be fine!"

Gideon drove away from the station as fast as he could, but he was still stuck in Bunnyburrow and it was near noon. Since it was too close to feeding time, the guards did not pursue.

Gideon looked back "Ah think we got away!"

"STOP THE FUCKING TRUCK!" Nick screamed. A frightened Gideon obliged.

Nick grabbed Gideon by the shirt. A viscous snarl exposed his fangs. "My daughters unconscious! You better tell me what the hell is going on right now!"

Gideon wept. "Ah'm so sorry Nick! A'hm so sorry! Ah should have told you sooner!"

As scared as Gideon was of Nick right now, he was ten times more terrified of the image in the sky coming towards them. "Oh mah sweet Lord!...They're early!"

"What's earl-" Nick saw it himself and went into stunned silence. A giant red-tail hawk was flying towards them. It was giant. At least six feet tall.

"Where is it goin-OH MY GOD!"

He saw it, but he couldn't believe it with his own eyes. A bunny child with an artificial leg was chained to a tree where a giant "X" was marked on the ground. It was pulling on the chain as hard as it could.

"MOMMY! PLEASE LET ME IN! PLEASE!"

Nick could make out the mother watching in the corner window. She was sobbing hard. Tears flowed down like waterfalls.

"I'm so sorry baby! I'm so sorry! Mommy will see you in heaven someday!

"MOMMY LET ME IN! PLEASE! I'LL BE GOOD! I PROMISE! I WON'T TEASE MY SISTERS ANYMORE!"

He saw the hawk flying towards the child and he finally pieced it together.

" 'Feeding Day'...They're gonna eat the children!" He jumped out of the truck and headed straight for the boy.

"NICK! NO!" Gideon screamed. "THEY'LL KILL YOU!"

Cry. Scream. Run. Shout.

It's Feeding Day...the hawks are out.


	15. Chapter 15: Feeding Day

Chapter 15: Feeding Day

 **A/N: Warning. The later part of this chapter features the slaying of a bunny child.**

 **Sunday 11:55am**

Michael felt like he was in heaven.

His father finally had some free time to play with him and him alone. Stu had set up a little cardboard maze in front of the giant "X" meant for the hawks to find.

"Th-there you go son! Keep at it!" Stu said through his tears. He knew this was his final moments with his son and he wanted them to be happy ones for him.

The blind bunny boy was feeling his way through the maze and memorizing which way to go. "This is fun, daddy!"

"Th-that's good!" Stu said. "To your left!"

"Don't help me daddy, I can solve this!" He heard his father sniffling. "Daddy...are you crying?"

"No son. Daddy... _SNIFF!_...Daddy has a cold."

Just inside, Bonnie wept openly at the kitchen table. Her daughters, Jenny, Julie and Jamie were comforting her.

"I hate this! I hate it so much! BAAHAHAHAAAA! My baby boy! I'm letting him die! I don't deserve to be called a mother!"

Julie hugged her mother tight. "It's not your fault mamma! It's those damn hawks! They're too powerful! We're helpless!"

Bonnie kept sobbing. "I'm just glad Judy isn't seeing this. Where is she?"

"She went up into her room as soon as we got home."

Meanwhile, in Judy's room, Judy was about to make another attempt at the password when she stopped herself.

"No!" She said."If I try again, it'll lock up for sure! Think Judy, think!"

She got her own phone out of her pocket. No bars. She noticed she had a Z.O.S. Operating system just like Gideon's phone.

"Wait...I never set up password protection! If I try that, maybe I'll find the answer."

She went to the account settings and clicked on _"password protection"_.

 _Please set up a password._

Judy typed "angel" in lower case.

 _Not secure enough. Please add at least one capital letter and one number._

"What?! One number?" Judy puzzled. "How do I put a number in the word...of course! I'm so stupid!"

Judy typed in "Ang3l".

 _Password accepted._

"YES! That better be it!" She typed the same password into Gideon's phone. It unlocked.

"YES! YES! Stupid Gideon! Why didn't he tell me the letter 'e' was a '3'?!"

She immediately went onto "Zoogle" and typed in "Feeding Day" Only one result showed up from a site called. "Mysterious Mammal Moments" She clicked on it.

A small article with a video appeared.

" **Feeding Day" Bunny Carried Away by Hawk**

 _This video was sent out to Furbook last month under an anonymous poster. While, the video looks ominous and scary, it was later confirmed by Bunnyburrow officials to be fake. We must admit, whoever put this film together should got into special effects as it looks truly horrifying!_

Judy clicked on the video. The video showed a bunny girl with her face in a camera. Tears are running down her cheeks. She's yelling at what appears to be her house. She's chained to the mailbox.

"MOMMY PLEASE LET ME IN! PLEASE!" She sobbed. She then started to panic as a hawk screech could be heard on the video.

The bunny looked down at the camera. "If anyone sees this, m-m-my name is Cathy Flopson! Every Sunday is 'feeding day'! Hawks are arriving in Bunnyburrow and taking us kids away! They're eating us! Please send help!" She looked up and saw the hawk. "NO! NOO!" The hawk grabbed her and the chain snapped off the child as the camera fell to the ground. "MOMMY! MOOOMMEEEE"

The video ended. Horror swept over Judy's face. Her bottom lip was trembling in fear. "Why mom?! Why didn't you tell me?!" Then she remembered. " _GASP!_ THE X!" She ran out of the room as fast as she could, took the slide instead of the stairs, ran past her sobbing mother and bolted out the door.

She saw Stu playing with Michael on the "X". "MICHAEL! GET AWAY FROM THE X!"

Michael was confused. "...Judy?" He then realized what was happening. "I'm on the X?! OH NO! I'M A SACRIFICE! DADDY WHY?!"

Stu looked at Judy in a panic. "H-Hey, Jude the dude! We were just playing a littl-OOF!"

Judy jump-kicked her own father away from Michael and grabbed the boy. "Let's get you inside! Quickly!"

She ran to the door only to be blocked by her own mother and sisters.

Bonnie was in tears. "P-Please Judy! I don't want this either, but we have no choice! They're too strong! We're powerless!"

Judy was shocked beyond belief. She could believe her cowardly father doing something like this, but her own mother was involved too. Tears were running down her face.

"Mom...is this what happened to Jimmy? To my grandparents?!"

Bonnie couldn't look at her daughter. She turned her head away. Judy now knew the truth. She fell to her knees and sobbed while holding Michael tight.

"AAAAHHHAAAHAAAA! JIMMY! JIMMY! HOW COULD YOU MOM?! WE ALL LEARNED SIGN LANGUAGE JUST FOR HIM! OH GOD! GRANDMA AND GRANDPA! AAAAAHH!"

Bonnie knelt down beside Judy. "I'm sorry Judy! I'm so sorry! They have rules! They took the elderly first, then the handicapped! I don't...I don't understand why, it's just their rules! They're so strong and twice as big as us! What are we supposed to do?!"

Judy's tears almost dissolved into mist by the heat of her anger. "What the hell do you think?! They're your children! You fight for your children! You fight to the death!"

Stu got up and started walking back. "You can't stop this Jude! It would be like trying to stop a hurricane with a paper fan! It's hopeless!"

Judy calmed herself and stood up. Her sadness was replacing with boiling anger."You damn cowards! I know about rules. I know the laws of this town all too well!"

She caressed Michael who was sobbing. She kissed his forehead gently. "It's alright Mike. You're not going anywhere. In fact, you're coming home with me."

Judy shouted loud enough for all nearby to hear. She talked to her mother and father not as if they were her family, but as if they were complete strangers.

"Stu and Bonnie Hopps! You have sent Michael Hopps out to die! This means you have rejected your child! Under Bunnyburrow law, any child rejected by their parents can be taken by another immediately!"

She looked at the boy and took a deep breath. "I, Judy Hopps claim Michael Hopps as my son!"

 **Moments earlier. 11:45am**

"NICK! NO!" Gideon screamed. "THEY'LL KILL YOU!"

Nick ran out of the truck and towards the house. "Hold on kid!" Nick ran to where the boy was chained.

"Help me mister! Please!"

Nick saw that the chain was wrapped around the child's waist. He pulled and pulled but the chain wouldn't budge. He finally started to pull the chain up and over the boy and it was working.

The mother inside was protesting. "What are you doing?! They'll come for the rest of my family!"

Nick managed to get the chain off the child. "Run for the truck!"

He didn't make it. The giant hawk landed in front of them. He pinned the boy down to the ground with his giant talon.

"Thank you!" The hawk said with an evil grin. "You made this much easier for me!"

"Gideon! Help me!" Nick screamed. The fat fox was frozen in fear in the seat of his truck. He had never seen a hawk this close before.

Despite the powerful, six foot hawk towering above Nick, he didn't quit. He flashed his badge from his wallet.

"Freeze! I'm officer Nick Wilde from the Z. !"

The hawk took one swipe at Nick with his talon and the fox and his badge flew five feet in the air. Nick landed on the lawn with a gash on his arm.

The hawk took off carrying the boy. The little bunny was screaming.

"MOMMY! DADDY! HELP ME!"

"Gideon start the truck!...Gideon!"

Gideon finally woke up and unfroze. "Ah'm so sorry Nick! Ah'm so sorry!"

Nick shoved Gideon to the passengers side and drove the truck himself. "SHUT UP AND MOVE!"

Nick drove like a madman. He followed the hawk as best he could, but he was too high in the air. The boy was screaming for his life.

"MOMMY PLEASE! HELP ME MISTER FOX! HELP ME!"

"Quiet kid!" The Hawk yelled "You're attacking attention!"

Nick was keeping up and racing below the hawk. Gideon was still in a panic and trembling. "Mah sweet Lord! Ah never seen 'em this close! Nick, ah'm so sorry. Ah'm so sorry! So sorry!"

The child was still screaming. The hawk looked somber.

"I'm sorry child. I'm usually merciful, but you leave me no choice."

"MOMMY! DADDY! HELP! MOMMY! MO-GLYKK!"

A swipe of the talon, a splash of blood and the bunny went limp. Blood splattered across the windshield and hood of Gideon's truck.

"NNNNOOOOOOO!" Nick screamed at the top of his lungs. He stopped the truck and sat there, grief stricken. He started to sob. "That poor rabbit! That poor, poor little kid!"

Gideon was having a different effect on him. When the shock and horror of what he witnessed wore off, there was only anger. He looked at the blood on the windshield as the hawk flew further away. Some of the blood might as well have been on his hands for doing nothing to stop this. He clenched his shaking fists. A fire grew in his belly. A fire of raw fury he hadn't felt in years. The last decade had made Gideon soft, but this event brought back a bit of the old Gideon. Angry and rage-filled.

"Those sons of roaches...THOSE SONS OF ROACHES! RRAAAHH! AH'LL KILL THEM ALL!"

He got out of the truck and bent over with his paws on his knees. The emotional wave struck over him like a punch in the gut so hard that he had to vomit. When he was done the anger had not dissipated. Instead He grabbed the passenger side door, ripped it off it's hinges and threw it as hard is he could. Nick was shocked at the power Gideon had.

"NICK! SWITCH SEATS WITH ME NOW! WE HAVE TO SAVE AS MANY KITS AS POSSIBLE!"

"Remind me not to piss you off!" Nick said as he got into the passenger side. They took off down the road. Nick tore his shirt and used it as a gauze for the bleeding gash in his arm. He wrapped it around tight. He then turned around to see the the needle was still in Cotton. He gently pulled it out and placed it in Gideon's tool box. He felt he might have a use for it later.

Nick then remembered. "The orphanage! Scratch is sacrificing herself!"

"We'll head there now!" Gideon said. Sadness swept over him as he wiped the blood off his windshield. Tears filled his eyes. "Ah...ah never watched it happen before. Ah ignored it like it was someone else's problem. But it WAS my problem, Nick! It was all our problem and we chose ta submit like cowards! COWARDS! I'm A COWAAARD! W-w-when I saw it happen fer myself, it woke me up! Ah'm so dang sorry Nick! I should have told you yester-"

"Three o-clock!" Nick said, pointing to his right, Gideon saw him. A Little bunny no older than eight running down the street. Nick heard the screech of the hawk above. He had returned with the dead boy still in his talon and was making to grab the other one.

"SHIT! Speed up!" Gideon put the petal to the medal. Nick leaned out the frame where the door once was. He had to admit. Gideon destroying the door in his rage was actually helpful. "C'mon kid! Over here!"

As he was running, the little boy turned his head to see both a fox and a giant hawk chasing him down.

"Oh thit! Oh thit! FUG! Weave me awone!"

"I'm a police officer! I'm trying to save you! You can either trust me or get eaten by the predator!"

The early morning rain had caused a puddle and the boy slipped on it. It was enough for Nick to grab him by the scruff of the neck and pull him in.

"Gotcha! Now you get in the back and buckle yourself in! We're gonna save as many of you kits as we can."

"Thank you ATH-HOLE! mithter!"

"Dang! The potty-mouth on that kid!" Gideon said.

Nick figured it out. "You have turrets syndrome along with that lisp, don't you?"

"Yeth thir. THIT! I can't help it. I twy! I weally do!"

Nick rubbed his head. "It's okay kid."

"Why ith the ATHH! Wamb athweep?"

"She got hit by a tranquilizer dart. She'll be okay though. At least she won't see this horror."

Nick patted Gideon on the shoulder. "One down, several to WOAH!"

The hawk had grabbed the drivers side door of the truck with his free talon and smashed the window. He was trying to claw at Gideon.

"GIVE ME THAT BOY!" The hawk yelled.

"He weren't on the X so he don't count!" Gideon yelled back.

"I WANT THAT BOY!"

Gideon started to choke just as the talons wrapped around his neck. Thinking quickly, Nick reached over and grabbed the toolbox. He took out the dart that was stuck in Cotton and stabbed it hard into the fleshy part of the hawks foot.

The hawk screeched and let go of Gideon's neck leaving only a light scratch. There wasn't enough fluid left in the dart to knock the hawk out, but it did put his leg to sleep rendering his free talon useless. Gideon gasped for air.

"Dammit!" I better head back home. This isn't over!" The hawk then flew off.

Nick and Gideon looked at each other and cheered.

"WOO-HOO! We beat him!" Nick yelled.

Gideon gave a "YEEE-HAAW!"

"FUG YEAH!" Yelled the boy.

Nick and Gideon gave each other a high five.

"Now off ta save Scratch!" Gideon cheered.

"Hell yeah!" Nick cheered. "Just one little thing."

Nick punched Gideon so hard in the jaw a fang came loose.

"THAT'S FOR LYING TO ME YESTERDAY IN THE FIRST PLACE!"

Gideon rubbed his sore jaw. "OoooOooh! Okay. Okay. Ah deserved that. We good now?"

"Yeah Gid." Nick said. "We're good. Now let's go save some kids!"


	16. Chapter 16: Fighting Back

Chapter 16: Fighting Back

 **A/N: This is officially now my longest running story! Huzzah! There's a lot more chapters to go too!**

 **Sunday: 12:20pm At the Hopps homestead**

"I, Judy Hopps claim Michael Hopps as my son!"

Stu chuckled. "Ho-Ho! Judy honey! You can't just announce Michael as your son and claim him!"

"Actually, legally she can and she will!" Bonnie said.

"Bonnie, no!" Stu yelled.

Bonnie had tears in her eyes. "She deserves to take him after what we've done! What kind of mother am I?! I-I-I let them take Jimmy away! I almost let Michael die too! We're cowards! We should be fighting them!"

Stu started to sob himself. "WE CAN'T! Do you think this had been easy for me?! I admit, I could barely stand great grandpa, but he was 105 years old and way past his time to go, but I lost my mother and father! I had to lie to Jimmy and pretend I was playing hide and seek! I...I watched from the window when he closed his eyes and start counting from one hundred...They were just grunts, but I knew he was counting down. Th-then I heard the screech! They... _SNIFF!_...they picked him up and flew away quickly like a postman grabbing a package. I heard him scream! I never heard that kind of sound come out of him befooOOOoore! HAAA-AAAH!"

Stu tried to plead with Judy. "Jude...these are the rules the hawks gave us. They take our eldest first, then our weak and handicapped like they're doing us some kind of favor! After that...our least loved. How can I possibly decide which one I love the least?! How could I tell them to their face?! HOW?!"

"By taking a stand!" Judy said. "Right here! Right now! If we don't, this will never stop!"

"Judy's right!" Jamie said. "I'm not letting any more of my siblings die!" She walked over and stood on the X. Jenny followed.

"Girls! No!" Stu pleaded.

Bonnie talked to Judy. "Honey, take your...your son inside. Julie? You're about to be a married woman. I can't ask you to do this. Tell your older siblings to come outside, then take the children to the basement and keep them safe!"

"I'm confused." Michael asked. "Who's my mommy?!"

Bonnie bent down and rubbed Michael's head. "Judy is your mommy now honey. Your old mommy was bad. She let poor Jimmy die instead of fighting for him. _SNIFF!_ But it'll be okay! Judy will have more time to spend with you outside of her work than I ever had time to a-a-and when... _SNIFF! a_ nd when you come to visit, I can spoil you rotten because I'll be your grandma now! And you get to live! You get to live! Okay?"

Michael was confused. "O-okay mommy! I mean...grandma? This is weird!"

Judy laughed, hugged him and lead him through the door inside. "Yeah. It kinda is. Now go play with your brothers and sisters!"

She turned and went to talk to Stu who was pleading with Bonnie. "PLEASE dear! Get inside! This is suicide!"

"I...won't...budge!"

The older siblings of the Hopps family started pouring out. Jesse passed by his dad. "'Bout damn time! Go get your rifle dad! I'll get our shovel!"

Stu was pleading with them but it was falling of deaf ears. "But! But We'll all be killed! Jesse! Jerry! Joey! Ummmm you there! I forgot your name, but I'm sure it has a 'J' in it!"

Stu was defeated. "Fine! I'll go get the rifle! Might as well dive into the madness!"

The Hopps family now completely covered the giant X. Bonnie talked to Judy.

"To be honest, we ran out of 'J' names around the time Michael was born."

Judy spoke to the siblings. "Whatever you do, let me go first! I'm a fully trained officer!"

Stu arrived with the rifle. "Well, here I am! Now we can all die together like idiots! Are you happy?!"

They heard the terrifying screech in the distance. The hawk was coming. But then, they heard another sound.

"Gideon! Keep up! Please! Scratch! Get the rifle! AAHH my shoulder!"

It was Nick. The hawk was holding onto him with one talon grabbing his arm and the other one piercing his shoulder. He was carrying him off and just happened to pass by the Hopps homestead.

"Oh good!" Stu said happily. "He'll take Nick so none of us have to be killed!"

Judy yelled at her father. "Are you crazy?!"

 **12:05pm Moments earlier. What led up to this...**

"Ah need to make a detour!" Gideon said.

"Make it quick!" Nick replied. "That girl saved Cotton's life and I HAVE to return the favor!"

"Hold on!" Gideon said. "I gots me an i-dee-er!"

He took the truck towards the little league baseball stadium that was currently empty. He smashed through the fence at full speed.

"What are you doing?!" Nick asked.

"You'll see!" Gideon parked on the diamond. He got out of the truck and went down to the dugout. He came back with a handful of aluminum bats.

"Ah watch Wiggly play baseball here and ah happen ta know they leave their bats poorly hidden!"

"Great!" Nick said with glee. "We can bash them right on the noggin!"

They drove off. They had a few minutes and Nick decided to talk.

"This ended up not being safe for Cotton at all! What exactly was Stu gonna do that you insisted she come with us?"

"Ya ain't gonna like it. It's the main reason ah finally took a stand against him."

"Tell me!" Nick said with a bit of impatience.

"He didn't want ta sacrifice his son, so he was gonna use Cotton instead!"

Nick growled. His pupils narrowed in a way that hadn't been seen since he faked being savage with Judy at the old museum. His fangs exposed in his snarl and a bit of drool dripping out his mouth. He was pissed.

"What?!...HE WHAT?!"

"That's why ah fought so hard ta take her! That's why he managed ta stop us at the border!"

Nick could barely control his rage. "I'll KILL that little runt next time I see him! The bastard! He was gonna kill my baby girl!"

He then realized something. "Wait, if she's not the sacrifice,...then." Nick remembered a recent conversation.

" _They gave me this stupid nickname and I don't know why!"_

" _What do they call you?"_

" _...Next."_

"Michael. They're gonna sacrifice Michael!"

"Yeah. Ah know. Ah'm sorry, but it was either him or her."

"It doesn't have to be either! We have to hurry!"

 **Meanwhile...**

Scratch had ran out of tears. She had ran out of time. But most of all, she ran out of caring.

"Fuck it!" She said. She stood up and heard the hawk coming. She no longer feared him. She decided then and there that if she was gonna meet the Grim Reaper, it will be with fists up and both birds flying.

"Scratch waved at the hawk to land. "HEY DIPSHIT! OVER HERE!"

The hawk landed. He towered over the hyena girl. A loose necklace of rabbit's feet hung in front of his chest. He looked puzzled.

"You!" He said to the girl. "You're not old and you're certainly not weak! You cannot be a sacrifice?!"

"You forgot unwanted!" Scratch replied. "Those kids inside are scared to death of me! They tell horror stories about me to scare the newcomers!" She started to sniffle. "No one...n-n-no one's m-more unwanted than me! So just take me or kill me already."

Nick and Gideon arrived, but Gideon's truck stalled. "Dag-Nabbit! It won't turn over! Nick, take the bat and bash him good! Ah'll jump the critter from behind!"

"No good Gid-o!" Nick said. "We need that truck moving in case he takes off! Get that motor up and running and protect the kids. I'll take care of that hawk!"

The hawk was in conversation with Scratch.

"The name's Skinner." The hawk said. He then pulled on his necklace. "But I also call myself ….'Lucky'. Y'know, I don't have to kill you. You could be a good use for me and my brother Zeke. We need someone to help round up the children and bring them to the shack. You'll get to live with us and feast on rabbit stew!"

Scratch was upset. There's no way she'd ever hurt the children despite how much they fear her.

"Like hell I will! You bastards can do that yourselves! Now hurry up and kill me, you piece of shit!"

She spread her arms open and closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable.

Her words angered Skinner. "You've got quite the mouth! Guess I'll have to tear your toug-OOF!"

Nick whacked the hawk hard with the baseball bat. "Not today, asshole!"

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Screamed Scratch. "He was gonna kill me and the kids would be safe!"

"The kids will never be safe if we don-AAH!"

Scratch knocked down Nick and started punching him.

"Fucking dumbass! You're ruining everything!"

"OW!" Nick yelled "I'm saving your life!"

"They'll retaliate on the orphanage you fucking idiot! I was willing to die with no regrets!"

Nick saw the hawk was starting to stir. He had to act quickly. He managed to shove Scratch off. When she came running again, he slugged her in the stomach and knocked her out with an elbow to the face.

"Sorry kid! You didn't give me much choice!"

He had to leave the bat as he was carrying the girl while running. He looked back and saw the hawk getting up.

Skinner was furious. "RRRAAAH! I'LL SKIN YA ALIVE!"

"Gideon! Get the truck running!"

"Ah can't dangit!" It won't turn over!"

Nick saw the hawk starting to give chase. He was starting to run out of breath from carrying Scratch. He saw a small shack nearby and ran for it. It was only made for storing tools, but but enough for him and Scratch to hide in.

Nick laid her down and shut the door just as the hawk arrived.

"GIMME THAT CHILD!" His talons started to rip through the wood. As if things weren't bad enough, Scratch awoke. She grabbed him and put him in a headlock.

"You're making things worse, you idiot!" She screamed.

"I'M making things worse?!"

"I was willing to go peacefully!" She said while swiping at his face. Nick feared the worst, but all he felt was fingers sliding across his face.

She had no claws.

"I was the perfect sacrifice! Nobody cared about me!"

"I CARE ABOUT YOU!" Nick shouted. "Why do you think I'm going through this?!"

Scratch paused. "...Really? But...why?"

"Because you saved my little girl. Because you're not the monster the kids make you out to be. You love them and would willingly die for them. But don't die! Please! We must fight!"

"B-but they'll attack the orphanage!"

"If you die, they'll just come and take another next week, then another and another. But if we fight now, RIGHT NOW, we have a chance to put an end to this today! Are you gonna die willingly or will you die fighting?!"

Scratch gave it some thought.

Nick gave a little speech. "Someone once said, 'Better to die on your feet than live on your knees.' I believe in that. Do you? "

"...Okay!" She said. "Okay. Let's kick som- AAAH!"

Skinner managed to grab her arm with his talon through the shed. He started slamming her into the door.

"LET HER GO!" Nick screamed. He bit into the flesh of the hawks foot which caused him to let go of Scratch. He was rewarded with a slash across the muzzle from Skinner's talon.

Skinner had almost ripped the door apart. "YOU'RE DEAD MEAT, FOX!"

He started to reach inside when.. _BAM!_ Gideon ran into him with the truck.

"Ah got 'er runnin'! Hurry and get inside!"

Nick quickly got Scratch into the back seat. He was climbing in himself when Skinner grabbed him by the arms and started to fly off.

"CRAP! CRAP! CRAP!" Nick yelled as Skinner was starting to fly away with him.

"HA! HAA! Looks like we're gonna have fox on the menu tonight!" Skinner cheered.

Gideon panicked. "Nick! NICK!"

"Chase after them you fat fuck!" Scratch yelled.

"Fad fug!" The rabbit boy said in return.

"Great! Ah got a car full 'o potty mouths!" Gideon said. "HANG ON NICK!"

Gideon raced the truck and manged to keep up with the hawk.

Meanwhile Scratch was having fun with the little rabbit boy.

"You got quite the mouth on you! What's yer name kid?"

The little boy replied. "My name ith KITH MY ATHH! I mean Petey! I'm thowwy!"

Scratch laughed. "HA-HAA! I love this kid! I'm gonna call you 'Cuss'!"

Just then, Cotton started to stir awake. "Wh-what happened? Where am I?"

"Oh, hey there Crazy Legs!"

Cotton saw the hyena and panicked. She scurried into the corner. "EEEE! IT'S SCRATCH! DON'T HURT ME! PLEASE! SOMEONE HELP MEEE!" A puddle started to form under her.

Scratch was saddened by this. "Are you...are you peeing yourself? I'm not gonna hurt you. I swear! I'm.. _SNIFF!_ I'm not a monster! I'm not!"

"Where's my daddy?!" Cotton asked.

"Look up in the sky!" Gideon replied.

She saw it. "OH NO! DADDY!"

Skinner had a good hold of Nick, but he wouldn't stop fighting. He was squirming and kicking. He managed to swing hard enough to give the hawk a good kick in the chest.

"That's enough outta you!" Skinner said and he took off one talon to slit Nick's throat, but Nick grabbed it just before it pierced his neck. He struggled hard to stop it as blood dripped down his muzzle from the scratch earlier. He bit into the flesh of the foot again and Skinner let go only to grab again and piece through Nick's shoulder blade.

"GAAAHH!" The fox yelled in pain.

 **12:25pm**

Nick saw that they were passing by the Hopps Homestead. He could see them all outside. He remembered Judy mentioning Stu's rifle from days earlier.

"Gideon! Keep up! Please! Scratch! Get the rifle! AAHH my shoulder!"

"Oh good!" Stu said happily. "He'll take Nick so none of us have to be killed!"

Judy yelled at her father. "Are you crazy?!"

Gideon was still keeping pace. "Scratch! Jump out and grab that rifle!"

"GOT IT!" Scratch got out of the back seat. Cotton cringed at her getting so close. She jumped out and rolled to protect herself.

Stu saw the hyena barreling at him full speed. "St-st—stay back!" He aimed the rifle at her.

"GRRAAH! GIMMIE THAT RIFLE!" She did a slide kick that knocked Stu over and made him drop the rifle.

Scratch went to grab the rifle, but Judy got it first.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Growled the hyena.

"I was a crack shot at my academy!" Judy said. "Trust me!"

They ran fast. Scratch couldn't keep up with Judy's incredible speed.

"You better not screw up!" Scratch growled. "I need that idiot alive!"

Judy got close. She stopped and licked her fingers. She help them up to feel the wind current. She aimed the rifle.

Nick saw who was aiming at them. "Judy?! Carrots, y-y-you're not still mad about last night are you?!"

Judy fired. She grazed the hawk's leg and it was painful enough for Skinner to let go of Nick.

Nick fell 30 feet through the air and screamed. "AAAAHHH!"

"I got yah Nick!" Gideon kept up.

Nick fell and fell. _CRASH!_ Right into the truck bed full of pies.

Gideon looked back. "NICK! NICK! ARE YOU OKAY?!"

At first, there was silence, then he heard something. "Mmmm...MMMM! Nom! Nom!"

Gideon chuckled. "Nick...Are you eatin' mah blueberry pies?!"

Nick protested with a mouth full of food. "MO!...Yef."


	17. Chapter 17: (No) Time to Rest

Chapter 17: (No) Time to rest

 **A/N: Before anyone thinks I'm making light of Turrets Syndrome, the issue Petey's dealing with will be addressed more seriously. It may have made Scratch instantly bond with him because she thinks it's funny, but she'll see the seriousness of the issue soon enough.**

Nick laid on his back on a tarp under a pile of (now smashed) blueberry pies. Judy had saved him from Skinner the hawk. He took one of the squished pies and ate some of the contents for some much needed energy. It tasted great. It tasted so sweet.

It tasted...like victory. A small victory but victory nonetheless.

Everyone rushed to him.

"Nick!"

"Daddy!"

"Fox dude!"

"Nick, brother!"

"Mithter THIT BAG!"

Judy jumped into the truck and dove into Nick's arms. Even after all the fighting that had occurred between them, she still cared for him greatly.

"You could have been killed!" She wept. "If...if I was just a little off..."

"It's okay Fluff. I'm alive. I take it I'm back in the friend zone?"

Judy smiled. Wiped her tears. "Yeah. For now."

"Daddy! Are you okay?" A worried Cotton asked.

"Sure!" Nick said as he started to sit up. "Daddy's..OW!"

As he started to sit up a surge of pain went up his spine as well as his injured shoulder.

"Maybe I'm not doing so okay! I think that fall hurt my back a little. Help me to my feet."

They tried to lift him from both shoulders, but the pain on his left shoulder was immense and they had to lower him to the ground gently.

Judy yelled for help. "MOM! GET GREAT GRANDPA'S WHEELCHAIR!"

Cotton ran up and hugged him on the ground. "Please be okay Daddy!"

Nick smiled. "Daddy's gonna be okay. I just got a few boo-boo's."

"I'm sorry Daddy. I got scared of Scratch and peed myself!"

"Well, don't be scared of Scratch, she's a good girl! And you're not the only one who peed themselves today." Nick looked over at Gideon.

Gideon was embarrassed. "Dagnabbit! You noticed that?! Hey. Those hawks are scary up close!"

Nick chuckled. "I'm surprised I didn't soak myself after being picked up by that hawk."

Petey went up to greet himself to Cotton. "Hi!"

"Hi!" Cotton said back. "My name's Christine, but daddy calls me Cotton. What's your name?"

Petey took a deep breath. " _Don't swear! Don't swear!"_ He thought to himself. "My name is FUG YOU!"

Nick tried to stop the inevitable. "Wait Cotton! He has..."

 _SLAP!_

"...Turrets."

Petey started to cry from being slapped by a hard, hooved hand. Scratch felt sorry for him and picked him up.

"Awww! You okay little Cuss?"

Petey sobbed on her shoulder.

"You don't think I'm a monster, do you?"

"SNIFF! No. Y-you'we nice THIT! but thtinky."

Scratch chuckled. She looked down at Cotton.

"See?"

Bonnie arrived with the wheelchair. "How badly is he hurt?!"

"We don't know yet, mom!" Judy replied.

They pulled him off the ground. He yipped in pain a few times, but they managed to get him in the chair and started wheeling him into the house.

"Don't worry Nick!" Bonnie said. "We have two doctors and one chiropractor in the family!"

"Good!" He replied. "Because I need to get back out there right away!"

Everyone was shocked at the response.

Gideon was the first to protest. "Like hell you are! Ah seen the damage done to you. Fer right now, yer out of the fight! Ah'll handle it mahself!"

"No you won't!" Judy said. "I'm coming with you!"

"Sounds great!" Gideon said. "Ah'll go get some weapons!" and the fat fox headed out.

"Judy! This is too dangerous!" Bonnie said. "They say there's dozens of them!"

"No." Scratch said. "I talked to one of them for awhile. I think there's only two!"

Nick and Judy looked at the hyena. "Only two?!" Judy said.

"Yeah!" Scratch replied. "Skinner and his brother Zeke. They wanted me to join their group because their having trouble rounding up all the kids."

"Just two." Judy smiled. "We can totally do this!"

"Don't underestimate them Carrots." Nick warned. "Look at what they did to me. I'm a bloody mess!"

Cotton was having a hard time on her crutches keeping up with Nick being wheeled. She didn't want to leave his side after he got injured.

Nick noticed her struggling. "You want to ride along with daddy?"

She nodded. Judy picked her up and placed her in Nick's lap. "Yikes!" Nick chuckled "You really are wet!"

She drooped her ears and looked away. "I'm sorry."

"Hey. Don't be! It's the least of my worries. I'm just happy to hold you for a bit."

Judy's ears were blushing. "Ummm...Nick? You know how you kinda rushed into adopting Cotton?"

"Yes?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I...kinda adopted my own brother. I had to! At the time, dad was gonna sacrifice him!"

Nick smiled. "I think it's wonderful. Besides, were not a couple anymore, remember? You don't need my permission or anything. You make a good salary as a cop."

Judy was doubting herself. "I don't know the first thing about raising a blind child! I rushed into this so fast! He's so confused and I'll be taking him away from his siblings! Maybe..maybe I should back out."

Bonnie stopped pushing the chair. She went over and slapped her daughter on the butt. "Now you listen to me Judith Laverne Hopps!"

"Oh boy! Full name." Nick said with a smile. "You're dead meat."

"You made a promise to that boy and you're going to keep it!" She got misty eyed. "Me and Stu...what we did to him...to Jimmy is unforgivable. He deserves someone who'll always be there for him! Not just passed around from sibling to sibling because her mother has 300 other children to deal with!"

"Jimmy the deaf boy?" Nick asked. "Bonnie. You and Stu...You didn't..."

Bonnie dipped her head down. Tears leaking out.

Nick held Cotton tight while talking to Bonnie. "Oh my God. Bonnie, I'm so sorry."

"Not as sorry as I am." Bonnie said. She looked at Judy. "Judy dear, let this be my sacrifice to you. Hopps like me are too cowardly. That boy needs to be raised by a Hareson!"

Judy ran over and hugged her mom. "Stupid mom! I'll always be a Hopps!"

Nick heard a sniffle and looked at Scratch just as she turned her head away from him.

Judy turned to Nick. "Let's just try not to adopt any more kids, okay?"

Nick smiled back. "Well now, I'm not making any promises."

They came into the house only to be greeted by Stu. Nick's anger boiled over. "...YOU!"

Stu gave a nervous smile. "Oh! Heh-heh!" Hey N-Nick! Glad to see you're oka-"

"Scratch! Get him!"

"EEP!" Stu squeaked and he ran as fast as he could. Scratch put Petey down on Nick's lap and took off for him.

"GRRRAAAHHH! GET BACK HERE YOU!" Scratch growled. She took off for him at full speed.

Stu tried climbing up the stairs of the house only for Scratch to jump onto the scaffolds and climb up them. They ended up on the same floor.

"KIDS! SAVE ME!" Stu said as he ran past some of the rooms. Stu dodged a pile of plush animals that Scratch smashed right through.

Stu then took the spiral slide down back to the bottom floor. Scratch took the same course. She couldn't help but enjoy it a little.

"COME BACK HERE YOU... _WHEEEEEEE!_...YOU JERK!"

Finally, Stu ran back to Bonnie and hid behind his wife.

"Bonnie dear!" Save me.

Bonnie was repulsed. "Oh, Stu. You're such a coward!"

Scratch stopped at Bonnie. "The bastard reeks of fear and greed. GIVE HIM TO ME!"

"Okay!" Bonnie said and she pulled Stu over to Scratch who quickly snatched him.

"Dammit Bonnie! What kind of wife are you?" He turned to Scratch and pleaded. "Please don't hurt me!"

"I'm not gonna hurt you." Scratch said. She brought him over to Nick. "HE is!"

Nick growled at Stu. "Gideon told me everything! You were gonna sacrifice my daughter!"

Judy was shocked. "DAD!"

Cotton was shocked. "Mister Hopps! Is this true?!"

"Wh-what was I supposed to do?! I didn't want to sacrifice my own son! I had to sacrifice someone!"

Nick was calm. "Scratch. Please bring him a little closer...closer...to the right...lower him a little. Good! Now pull his legs apart."

"What?!" Stu asked.

Scratch re-grabbed him closer to the legs this time. While sitting, Nick started to repeatedly kick Stu in the crotch. He spoke a word with every kick.

"COTTON..."

" _OOF!"_

"..IS..."

" _OW!"_

"...NOT.."

" _OOH-HOO-OW!"_

"...A.."

" _AAH! STOP! PLEASE!"_

"...SACRIFICE!" He said with one more strong kick. Stu crumpled to a heap on the floor.

Nick calmed down. "Now, with that mess out of the way, I forgive you. Bonnie? Can you and Judy help me to the sofa?"

They helped him onto the sofa. He groaned in pain a little, but it was not as bad as last time.

Bonnie stood over Stu. "Sorry dear, but I can't say I feel sorry for you."

Stu slowly got up. "OooooOOOoooh! Yeah. I kinda deserved that."

Nick had time to rest and time to think. Cotton sat beside the left of him while Scratch with Petey in her lap sat to his right.

"Okay, can anyone fully tell me what's going on? Were hawks always THAT big?!"

Gideon returned with bolt cutters and a large bat. "Those suckers are a bit abnormal, but when we evolved from our more savage ways, some of us changed in size and shape. Look at lil' Cotton here. She's gonna grow up ta be a Ewe but won't git a whole lot bigger than she is right now. Long ago, Ewe's used ta be even taller than foxes, but evolution kinda shrunk 'em down when we started walkin' on two legs. Same with Hawks and certain predatory birds, only in reverse. Most 'o them grow about five feet or so. The two that we've seen are larger than most, but hawks are still pretty big. Same with falcons."

Stu interrupted. "If you're gonna rescue those kits Gideon, you and Judy should get going. I'll fill Nick in on everything else. I owe you guys that much."

Judy was surprised. "Dad...you're not gonna forbid me or anything?"

Stu smiled. "Jude, Pumpkin, I know I can't stop you know matter what. I'll I ask is that you be extra careful. Okay?"

"Thank you dad." She gave him a huge hug.

Stu replied. "Now go say goodbye to your... _SNIFF!_...your new son."

Judy turned away and left for the children's room. She was surprised at Stu's new attitude. Maybe a few swift kicks in the nuts is what he needed.

Scratch set Petey down and stood up to protest. "Why is it just the fat fox and the bunny?! I'm going too!"

"You can't go now." Nick said. "There's not going to be enough room in the truck for you and all the kits they're gonna hopefully rescue."

"The hell I can't! I can ride in the bed! You promised me I could fight for them! You promised!"

Nick looked at her sternly. "You WILL get to fight Scratch, but later! I'm coming up with a plan to take them down after Gideon and Judy get back. In the meantime, I need you here! I don't trust Stu not to sacrifice Cotton or someone else and I need you to protect them. Now please sit down."

"I'm a little offended by that." Stu said.

"But I can fight real well!" Scratch protested. "And.."

"SIT!" Nick yelled.

Scratch growled in a low voice and sat back down on the sofa. "Fine! But I better get to go later."

Gideon was stunned. He knew her a little from the times he visited the orphanage. She never folded like this before. Nick had her under his control and he couldn't quite figure out why. Then, it hit him.

Nick looked over to Bonnie."Bonnie, I hope you don't mind, but I could really use a drink of water."

"Oh sure!" Bonnie replied. "I'll just.."

"I'M ON IT!" Scratch yelled and she started to run.

Bonnie looked concerned. "Where are you going?! The kitchen's this way!" She chased the Hyena down.

"Well ah'll be danged!" Gideon said. "That gal's really taken a shine to you!"

"What?" Nick said. "She just seems bratty, but she's actually nice."

"That's not what I mean Nick. Ah visit mah future kids often at the orphanage and sometimes run inta her. Her and the nun get inta all sorts of fights! She never takes orders from no one. No one 'cept you! You know what this means?"

Nick was confused. "I'm not following you Giddyup."

"Congrats Nick, you may just have another daughter!"

"...WHAT?!"

"That gal loves you! Ah can tell. She's canine just like you. She sees you as the alpha. HER alpha! She's NEVER been this obedient! What did y'all do? Was there any time you were dominant over her?"

"Woah now! She's only a young teen! I would never..."

Gideon rolled his eyes. "Ah MEAN did ya ever kick her butt in some way?"

Nick gave it some thought. "When I tackled the hawk, she fought me. He was starting to get up so I had to slug her in the gut and knocked her out temporarily with my elbow so I could get her to safety."

"There ya go!" Gideon said. "She probably ain't had no one that could fight back with her in a long time. Maybe her dad roughhoused with her. All ah know is that she seems to have really taken a shine ta you in a big way."

"Yeah but...Alpha?"

"You'll know fer sure if she starts lickin' yer face. Some canines tend ta kiss other canines that way. Fer someone obeying an alpha, it's their way of sayin' 'yer the boss.' That's how ah kissed mah momma."

"Yeah." Nick said. "Me too." He leaned his head back. "Awww man! I like Scratch, I really do, but..another kid? I mean...I love having Cotton here with me, but two kids and single? I don't know if I could handle it. I'm not ready for that!"

"Aw hush-puppies! Ah'm about ta have 'bout three dozen ta take care of! You tellin' me you couldn't handle two?!"

"Hey, don't act like your wife isn't a big part of that and it's not just that, Cotton is crippled and Scratch can snap in an instant. I don't know if Cotton would be safe around her. I like her, but I don't know if I wanna adopt her. Maybe you shou"

" _SHHH!"_ Gideon said. "Here she comes."

Unbeknownst to Nick, Scratch had heard a good chunk of the conversation. Her senses, including hearing were even more keen than Nick's.

She was misty-eyed and angry. She shoved the glass into Nick's paws. "Here's your STUPID water! I'm going upstairs to take a shower since...since everyone thinks I smell!" She then ran off upstairs.

"Wait!" Bonnie yelled. "I'll wash your clothes!... _SIGH!_ Oh dear...Nick?"

Nick knew what was up. "She heard me didn't she?"

"...Yes."

"Oooh thit!" said Petey.


	18. Chapter 18: A Dumb Move

Chapter 18: A Dumb Move

 **A/N: Hoo-Boy! Did I have to make a correction! Study your species Joey! Spotted female hyenas don't have male alphas, only female and based on how tough they are. In fact, the lowest ranked female is higher ranked than the highest male in hyena social circles. One thing I got right with Scratch is that they are really tough and love to fight. Also, NOT CANINE! Not feline either but somewhere kinda in-between. They're their own thing.**

 **The more you know...**

Before leaving with Gideon, Judy went into the children's playroom downstairs. She saw all of her younger kit brother's and sisters playing and having fun. There, she found Michael playing alone with some blocks. She walked up to him.

"Hey Mike! It's Judy. Ummm...'Momma Judy'. If that makes things less complicated."

"I like that." Michael said. "Does...does my real mommy not love me anymore?"

"No, sweetie! No! Your mommy does love you. She...she loves you enough to want what's best for you. What her and daddy did was very, very wrong but they felt like they didn't have much choice. I did what I did to save you. I just hope I'm doing the right thing and you'll be happy with me."

"Will you play with me?"

"A bunch!" Judy said with a smile. She hugged him tight.

"The others don't play with me much. They don't know how to act around me. That's why I like Cotton so much. She's not afraid of me! She played with me right away!"

"Well, you'll probably get to see a lot of Cotton in Zootopia with me. Hey! I learned sign language for Jimmy, maybe you can teach me how to read braille?"

"I don't know! Momma never had time to teach me."

"Then we'll learn together." Judy said. "I promise."

Michael was happy. "Really?! Awesome! Thanks Momma Judy!" He hugged her tight.

"You're welcome." She drooped her ears. "Momma Judy has to go right now. Me and your uncle Gideon have to rescue more kits like you and possibly fight some hawks."

There was worry in Michael's voice. "Will you be okay?"

"I'm sure I'll be fine. I...I need you to know something. I'm a police officer. You know that right?"

"Sure!" Michael said. "Everyone talks about you."

"Well then, you know the life I live is dangerous. But I don't want you to worry about me. I'm VERY tough and very careful! A lot of cops retire just fine, but...if something ever does happen to me, I'll make sure your brought here. You'll always have someone who loves you. Okay?"

Michael started to get teary eyed. "Do you _have_ to be a cop?"

She held him tight. "Yes. I need to make the world a better place. For all of us. Starting today with Bunnyburrow. I promise you this, NONE of your brothers and sisters will be sacrificed again!" She kissed him on the cheek and left.

Michael followed Judy upstairs and he played with Cotton and Petey on the couch. Judy took her dad's rifle along with some extra ammo, plus her dart gun and headed out with Gideon. Julie was waiting by the truck. Gideon hugged and kissed his fiance' goodbye. She was worried, but he promised they'd return. They then took off.

Moments later in the living room. Nick had a visit by Jeremy, the chiropractor of the family. He had Nick take his shirt off and lie face down on the floor.

"Hmmm..." Jeremy said. "Yes, yes. It seems you dislocated your spine a bit when you took that nasty fall. You got a nasty knot on your back right here."

"Will I walk again doc?" Nick asked.

"Only if you're not lazy. Hold still, this is gonna hurt." He put his knee on Nick's lower back. He then pulled hard on Nick's neck and legs until he heard a snap." Nick yipped in pain.

"Okay! That should do it! Try to stand up."

"Are you crazy?!" Nick said. "I may never stand again!"

"Trust me." Jeremy said.

Nick slowly got up. To his surprise, his back was fine. A little sore, but he could stand up and walk.

"This is great! Thanks doc!"

"Just don't overdo it!" Jeremy said. "Get some rest and don't try anything stupid."

"Well..." Nick said with a grin. "I'll get some rest. Can't guarantee the later."

Cotton was happy. "Yaay! Daddy's better!" She gave him a big hug.

Stu went up to Nick. "Nick? I'm sorry for what happened before and I'm glad you're feeling better. It's time you knew everything. You won't like what you hear. You may wanna kill me again."

Stu shouted out to the family. "Bonnie! Kids! Come out here! You need to hear this!"

 **Meanwhile...**

Judy and Gideon were driving down the neighborhoods. They already snatched about six kits up when they stopped at a chained kit. Gideon used the bolt cutters to break the child free.

"That makes seven!" Gideon said.

He ran to the door of the house. "Take your child back! We're gonna stop the hawks today!"

The father peaked through the door. "Like we'd listen to a fox! You're gonna get us all killed!"

Gideon growled. "GRRRR FINE! Y'all can pick him up at Sister Mary's orphanage at the school up the road tomorrow! We're droppin' off the kits there!"

He got the rest of the chain off the kit and got him in the flat bed of the truck.

"Seven down, who knows how many to go!" Judy said. She chuckled. "Y'know, on any other day and in any other context, we'd be serving 10 years to life!"

Gideon took off. He had a smile on his face. "Look at us! I feel like a police officer!"

Judy smiled back. "Officers Hopps and Grey are on the case!"

They then heard the screech. They looked behind them.

It was Skinner. The hawk had dropped off a few kits and was coming back for more. He had a look of anger in his eyes.

"What are you doing? Those kits are mine dammit!"

Judy stopped the truck. "Remember the plan!" She said to Gideon.

"Gotcha!" He said back.

She had her dart gun, he had a heavy bat.

"Come and get them!" She shouted.

"I'LL SKIN YOU ALIVE!" The hawk was zooming in. Judy took a deep breath and fired the gun. It hit the hawk off-center near the shoulder. It didn't knock him out immediately, but he was getting dizzy. He started to fall right towards Gideon.

"BATTER UP!" Gideon took a huge swing and almost knocked the hawks head off. The hawk tumbled to the ground.

"WHOO-HOO! WE GOT HIM! Shouted Judy. "Now let's..cuff...GIDEON STOP!"

With a heart full of rage. Gideon kept swinging the bat and beating the unconscious hawk. "YOU...WON'T...EVER...HURT...THESE...KIDS...AGAIN!"

Judy rushed over. "GIDEON PLEASE!"

He accidentally knocked Judy over with his elbow. He was gonna do another swing when he saw the look of fear in Judy's eyes. Her nose was twitching. She was trembling. He froze. It was the same image burned into his memory of when he clawed her face all those years ago. A look of pure fear.

He dropped the bat. "Ah-ah-ah'm sorry Judy! Ah just went crazy! Ah was so mad! Don't look at me that way! Please don't be afraid of me!...Please?"

Judy took a step back. "I-I-I'll cuff the hawk. Y-you get these kits in the back seat and we'll put him in the flat bed. Then, we'll take him to the sheriff!"

"Okay." He said with remorse. Then a smile went on his face. "Befer you do that, I gots me an i-dee-er!"

He when to the back seat and brought out the bolt cutters. "Ah think this fellah needs a manicure!"

 **Moments earlier, at the Hopps Homestead..**

Everyone was gathered in the living room at the center of the house. Those who couldn't fit into the living room surrounded the scaffoldings of the floors above. The only one not present was Scratch who was taking a shower.

Stu spoke. "It all started about three months ago. I was the first house they came to. At the time, I was taking care of great grandpa. I didn't know then, but...I gave them the idea for taking certain family members."

Stu started speaking.

"I was taking my...'beloved'..great grandfather for a morning stroll in his wheelchair around the factory. Bonnie insisted I spend some 'quality time' with him, but to be honest, I could barely stand him! No one could! I pushed him along, listening to his crazy rants.."

Stu imitated his grandfather.

" _Another problem with your generation!"_ Said grandpa. " _You're too soft on those redfurs!"_

"That's specist slang grandpa! They're called foxes!"

" _They have red fur cuz they were made by the devil! And now you're doing business with one!"_

"And making tons of money! Gideon's pies have been good for business! Especially with this drought going on!"

"And then it happened..he dropped in front of me. Towering over me like a skyscraper! He had a crack across his beak!"

" _Please!"_ He said. _"I'm starving!"_

"Looking back, he probably would have taken any food I gave him. Instead, I went into full coward mode. 'Please don't eat me!' I screamed. I pushed great grandpa towards him. 'Take him! He's 105 years old and way past due to die!' "

"The hawk chuckled. _'Fine! I'll take your unwanted, you cowardly filth! And I'll be back for more!' "_

"The hawk carried grandpa off. Even in the sky, he wasn't done yelling at me. ' _That's another thing about your generation! Yer all a bunch of sissies!'_ Even his final words were insulting me."

"I thought that would be the last I'd seen of that hawk. I was so wrong. Two days later, they had found some bunnies had caught the dreaded E-Bunya virus and they had them all on the top floor of our medical building. Because of the scare of an outbreak, they quarantined the entire county. It's the worst of two bad situations. Now we were trapped with those monsters! They knew what happened!They took out our cell phone, radio and TV towers to block off as much communication to the outside world as possible."

" _Except you have a cell tower yourself."_ Nick thought. But he pocketed that info...for now.

"The next day, they made their presence known to everyone..."

Stu turned to Bonnie.

"Wait. Bonnie dear, please take the ones under ten back into the playroom and take these three on the couch with you. They shouldn't hear this."

Cotton, Mike and Petey followed Bonnie into the play room,

"They found...they found the skinned furs of Mr. and Mrs. Greyfurgison hanging from a tree in our central park. There was a note attached. It said there was dozens of them in waiting. Ends up now that might be false, thank God, but still. It gave instructions on what to do."

"Here's how it goes. Every home has to have a large 'X' of some kind placed in front of their house. Preferably on the lawn. It's so the hawks can spot it from a great distance. Then, you must place a sacrifice there. As an 'act of mercy', they made the sacrifices in the order of 'least missed'. I think they did that as punishment to me because I handed grandpa over to them on a silver platter."

"The grandparents were the first to go. Like I said, they took my mom and dad two weeks later. _SNIFF!_ They gladly volunteered! They're so brave! Then...your handicapped. Like I'd love my handicapped kids any less than any of the others?! After that or...if you didn't have any handicapped children...then your least loved. How...how could anyone look at their child and tell them they love them the least?!"

Nick wiped his face with his paws. "My GOD!...That's...that's so messed up!"

He started to tear up. "Those kids! Those poor, poor kids. Bad enough you're put out to be eaten by a hawk, but can you imagine the trauma? Being told you're the least loved, then shoved out the door and chained to a tree waiting to be snatched up?! That kind of rejection and fear must be horrifying!"

"On top of that..." Stu said. "Not every house marked is hit each week. The hawks hit less than half the homes marked. That means some those kids are traumatized for three hours and then taken back into their home only to wait a week to possibly die again."

"SHIT!" Nick yelled out loud with tears in his eyes. He immediately apologized.

He turned to Stu. "I have a few questions. First.."

It was interrupted by the sound of a boy rabbit screaming for his life. He was being chased by a naked Hyena.

"YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!" Scratch screamed.

Nick covered his eyes. "Scratch! Stop! Get some clothes on!"

"HE WAS TRYING TO TAKE A PEEK AT ME NAKED!"

"Well...'mission accomplished'! Or have you not noticed you're running around the house nude?!"

Scratch finally noticed, but she didn't seem to care much. "Well...it's the principle of the thing! I'm not into dudes! I like girls! I'm gonna tear him apart!"

Nick kept his eyes shut and his arm over his eyes. "No you're not! Get upstairs and put on a bathrobe and wait for Bonnie to come and bring you your clothes!"

"But he.."

"NOW!" Nick said with authority and Scratch ran back upstairs.

Stu was impressed. "I wish my kids listened to me that well!"

"Yeah well..." Nick said. "Gideon tells me she may see me as the alpha so she does whatever I say."

"That can't be right." Stu said. "I've watched some documentaries. For one, the females are the alphas in Hyena packs. Not males. Also, they are neither feline or canine, but their own subspecies. Between the two, they veer more towards feline, although they can howl."

"Then why does she do everything I say?!"

"Because she likes you you dummy!" Stu said with a smile. "You rescued her and she more than likely sees you as a father figure."

Nick smacked his paw to his forehead. "I'm doomed!"

Just then, Stu's phone went off. "Hello? "Hey pumpkin! How's it going?"

"WE GOT ONE!" Judy and Gideon shouted together.

"Only one kit?" Stu said with disappointment.

"No! No!" Judy said. "We took down and nabbed a hawk!"

Nick and Stu cheered. "That's wonderful!"

Nick shouted out. "Hey Bonnie! Your daughter and future son-in-law just took out one of the hawks WOO-HOO!"

"We're on our way to the sheriff's office to jail him right now!" Judy said.

Stu's ears dropped in horror. "Listen honey..whatever you do, DON'T take him to the sheriff!"

"Why?!" She asked.

"I-I-I can't explain right now! But trust me..."

Nick grabbed the phone away. "Why should she trust you?! You've been keeping important secrets from us this whole time!"

Stu reached up. "Nick! Please! Gimmie that phone!"

Nick kept Stu back while he got on the phone with Judy. "Hey Carrots, up until recently Stu's been a pretty dishonest coward, soooo if he says DON'T take the hawk to the sheriff..."

"..Then I should do the opposite and drop him off at the sheriffs."

"NO!" Stu protested.

"Bingo." Nick said and he hung up the phone.

Stu pleaded. "Nick. PLEASE! You don't know what you're doing!"

"Oh I know alright! You're gonna answer some questions I have! Like why you have a cell tower and haven't called outside for help?!"

He called for Scratch. "Hey kid! Are you decent?!"

"No, but I'm wearing clothes!" She shouted down from up top.

Nick laughed. "Good one! Come down here!"

She went down the spiral slide. " _WHEEEE!_ Now what the hell do you want?!"

Stu was begging. "Nick! I'll explain everything! Just give me that phone! Please! PLEASE!"

Nick talked to Scratch. "Scratch, take this phone and put it somewhere Stu can't reach!"

"NOO!" Stu screamed.

"Got it!" Scratch replied and she took off.

"YOU IDIOT!" Stu screamed "YOU MAY HAVE JUST MURDERED JUDY!"

"Oh please." Nick said. "What are you talking about?! And tell me the truth!"

Stu talked in a panic. "The mayor and the sheriff! They're the REAL terror of this town! They're friends with the hawks! There is NO E-Bunya virus! The mayor's trapping everyone inside on purpose!"

Nick was stunned. "...WHAT?!"


	19. Chapter 19: Secret's Out

Chapter 19: Secret's Out

 **A/N: My original plans for Stu was that he was in on the whole thing with the mayor as well. I wanted to turn him into a villain too. The problem is, it made him such an irredeemable a-hole that there was no coming back from that. So I eased up the reigns a bit and made him partially to blame, but an unknowing victim too.**

 **Sunday: 2:25pm**

"We're almost there!" Gideon said. He had a look of confidence on his face. "Ah can't believe we did it! We make a great team, right Judy?"

He turned to look at her only for her to flinch at his stare. "R-R-Right!"

Gideon's ears drooped. He hadn't felt this bad in a long time. His act of crazed aggression on Skinner with the bat had re-ignited Judy's childhood fear of him.

"Ah...ah'm sorry 'bout what happened back there. Ah just got carried away. Please don't be scared of me. Yer family!"

She just kept her eyes on the road and hugged her knees.

Gideon almost teared up. He decided he's finally ready to tell her the truth. "Look...ah have somethin' ta tell you. A big secret ah kept even from my family. It's gonna sound stupid, but...ah'll explain."

Judy looked at him with curiosity.

"When we were ten, the reason...the reason ah bullied you and picked on you so much is that...ah had a crush on you."

Judy was dumbfounded. "WHAT?! No...No. That is NOT how you express a crush!"

"Ah wuz ten and confused! Ah mean, you were less than half mah size, but you were so dang cute and determined! Ah didn't understand mah own feelins!"

"Don't use the word 'cute'." Judy warned. "That's OUR word and what you're saying doesn't make any sense!"

"Well, for a lot 'o boys, you can't just TELL someone you love them, not even family! Me and mah kin expressed our love by beaten the tar out of each other. We'd tease each other, wrassle and punch one another. Even mah sisters. We loved it. Fer us boys, a punch can be a form of hug. Ah think that Hyena's the same way. I didn't know exactly how ah felt about you at the time, but ah knew it was an attraction. That's why ah constantly focused on you!"

Judy was confused. "So why are you telling me this now? ESPECIALLY when you're about to marry my sister Julie!"

"Because 'o that look of fear in yer eyes you've been giving me! Ah saw it once before. Ah'll never forget it. That day ah scratched yer face. Ah walked off with Travis all cocky, but the image of yer scarred and scared face kept comin' back in my head again and again. Ah felt so guilty! Ah cried in bed that night and mah dad said _'WHAT ARE YA CRYIN' ABOUT?!'_ and ah told him 'bout how ah scarred yer face and he said ' _Who cares?! Don't be such a little faggot! Be a man!_ ' "

Gideon started to tear. "Ah hated mah dad. Ah hated him so much! Ah found out later in life that a lot of mah anger came from repressed rage for him. We never dared act out at him fer fear of reprisal. A lot like with these hawks. By the time High School came around, ah was a terror. Ah was so full 'o hate. Hate of my dad and hate of mahself. So finally, ah saw a therapist. She put me on anger management. I took anger therapy for almost ten years."

Judy started to relax. Gideon continued.

"It worked out real well! Eventually, ah became the calm, sensitive fox you see now. Only problem is, once I saw that hawk kill that kid up close, it unleashed all the anger ah had surpassed fer so long. That's why ah ended up goin' to town on that fella. Ah'm sorry you saw that and...ah'll always be sorry for the way ah treated you."

"Gideon, it's in the past." Judy said. "You can never take it back, but you can always make amends. Just like you're doing right now! I'm proud of my sister for marrying a man like you!"

Judy then gave Gideon a kiss on the cheek. It made his ears blush. "Thank ya kindly. Now let's turn this hawk in!"

Gideon parked in front of the sheriff's office. They told the kit's to stay inside the truck while they dragged the unconscious hawk inside. Sheriff Griffin was leaning back with his feet on the desk smoking a cigar while Blarney the ram was asleep in one of the cells. Gideon dragged in Skinner by the feet with Judy following behind.

"Officer Judy Hopps of the Z.P.D.! We have caught and arrested one of the hawks that have been terrorizing this county!"

The sheriff's cigar dropped out of his mouth.

Gideon dragged Skinner into one of the cells. "Yeah! No offense sheriff, but we're givin' you the bird! Ha-Haa!" He slammed the cell behind him, keeping Skinner inside.

The sheriff was stunned. "Th-th-that's terrib...terrific! Blarney! Git yer lazy butt up and call the mayor over! These nice folks just caught one of the hawks!"

"Say WHAT?!" The ram said. "That's incredible! I'll call the mayor right away! He's gonna be so mad...errr...with excitement!"

Blarney got on the phone while sheriff Andy rummaged around his desk. "You fine, upstanding folks deserve a reward!"

He pulled out a handgun and aimed it at Gideon and Judy. "Your reward is that I _might_ not kill you. Get in the other cell!"

 **Meanwhile, Stu is explaining everything to Nick. Desperate to get his phone back.**

"Nick, remember when I talked last night about the dam I helped sponsor six months ago?"

"..Yes?" Nick was starting to piece thing together. "The river forked. Where did you subvert the dam from?!"

"I SWEAR I didn't know at the time! It was the mayor's idea!"

"WHERE?!"

Stu sighed. "The dam blocked the river flowing into Lake Featherton...I SWEAR I didn't know until it was far too late!"

Nick grabbed Stu by the throat. Anger filled his eyes. "All that extra water started flowing into the Bunnyburrow river and you PROFITED from it! That lake's probably dried up by now! Those birds rely on the fish and water coming from there! No wonder they're eating the bunnies, you selfish bastard!"

Bonnie screamed at Nick. "LET HIM GO NICK! HE DIDN'T KNOW!"

Nick eased up his grip. "EXPLAIN! NOW!"

Stu rubbed his neck after Nick's throttling. "When the hawk's arrived, only then did the mayor realize his mistake. He knew all along! HE KNEW and when I confronted him about it, he threatened to have the entire thing blamed on me because I was the sponsor! He then made friends with the hawks by feeding them some jaywalkers the sheriff had locked in his cell. He then forced the sheriff to do his bidding or face the hawk's wrath. Same with me! If I retaliated, he'd go after my whole family instead of just one at a time! That's why the quarantine is in effect. He doesn't want the truth getting out!"

Stu continued. "You want to know why I don't call in the National Guard?...I CAN'T! These blasted cell phones are his doing to help keep me in line and keep me as his 'buddy'! They're filtered. I can't even make texts or E-Mails without his knowing and all emergency sites are blocked off! He ORDERED the hawks to rip apart the towers! He's gone mad with power He's no longer a mayor, but a dictator! I'm as under his thumb as much as Gideon was under mine!"

Stu then patted Nick. "Now listen up, I DID retaliate, but he didn't know it! The 'fox initiative' isn't just to cut down the overpopulation but he doesn't know that. I wanted to slowly build a big enough fox army to fight those damn hawks! That's why I sucked up to you so much Nick. I didn't WANT you, I NEEDED you! I didn't care which of my daughters you picked as long as you protected my family. I'm sorry Nick. You must hate my guts."

Nick gave a smile.

Stu was confused. "Why are you smiling?"

"You needed _me_ , a _fox_...to PROTECT your family."

Stu chuckled. "I never thought of it that way before."

Then...they remembered. "JUDY! THE PHONE!"

Nick got up quick. "SCRATCH!...SCRATCH! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT NOW?!" Scratch yelled from upstairs.

"We need the phone back right now! Nick shouted.

"But...but you told me to keep it away from Stu!"

"Well we need it back pronto!"

Scratch jumped from up high onto the couch below. "I...I can't!"

"Why not?!" Nick said sternly.

She rubbed her arm nervously. "Promise not to be mad?"

Nick rubbed her shoulders. "I won't kiddo. What did you do?"

"Well...you told me to keep it away from him so...I threw it in the well outside!"

"YOU WHAT?!" Stu and Nick said together.

Scratch backed off a bit. Her ears drooped and her lip was trembling a bit. "HEY! Y-you promised you wouldn't get mad!"

Nick gave her a gentle hug. "I'm sorry kid. You're right. This is all my fault."

Stu interrupted. "No. You were right Nick. You and Judy are ZPD. I should have told you sooner instead of lying constantly!"

"Tell me you have land line!" Nick said.

"Who has land line anymore?!" Stu said. "We've been cell only for a long while."

"Great! Just great!" Nick said. "We need to leave and we need to leave right now! Stu, get us some weapons! We'll need a car!"

"I'm going too! Scratch said. "And you better not..."

"You're damn right you're going! I need a fighter!"

Scratch had a smile a mile wide.

"I'm coming too Nick!" Stu said. "The chauffeur went home to be with his wife and children during feeding time, so I'll drive the limo. I wanna fight too!"

"NO!" Bonnie screamed. "You'll be killed!"

Stu put his paws on his wife's shoulders. He saw the worry on her face. "I _have_ to honey. A lot of this is my fault. I'm done being a liar and a coward! I have to try and make amends. Take good care of the children."

She held onto him tight. Her tears running onto his cheeks. "You better promise me you'll come back! I can't do this alone!"

"I will hon-bun. There's only one of them around now. Right?" He kissed her on the cheek and ran for the weapons.

Bonnie gave a stern look to Nick. "You bring him back alive or I'll kick your ass myself!"

Nick chuckled. "Don't worry. He'll be fine." He looked around. "Where's Scratch?"

"She went to say goodbye to the kids."

Nick went downstairs to the playroom to find Scratch playing with Petey on her lap while Cotton was playing hide and seek with Michael.

Petey was worried for Scratch. "Awe you gonna _FUG!_ be okay?"

Scratch laughed "Ha-Ha! I love that! Yeah, I'll be okay, but try to keep a lid on that swearing around here."

"I CAN'T HELP IT!" Petey cried. He started to sob as he buried his head in Scratch's chest.

Scratch didn't understand. "Well...why not?!"

" _SNIFF!_ I don't want to cuth, b-b-ut I can't _THIT!_ thtop myself! The doctow thaid it's thome kind of tick! Like a _DICK!_ hiccup that never goeth away! I don't have any fweindth at thcool an-an-and my _ATHH! m_ ommy thinkth I'm wying! AaaahhHaaah!"

She squeezed Petey tight. "I'm sorry Pete! I really didn't know it was that bad!" She looked straight at him and gave him a kiss on the forehead. "I'm a bit of a foul mouth too, y'know? I'll make you a deal. Try your best to replace your swearing with grunts like _"URRGGH!"_ and _"GRRR!"_ or something and I promise I'll do my best not to swear too. Okay?"

"Okay!" He said smiling.

She gave him a big hug. "I gotta go now. But I'll be back! I promise!"

Nick heard everything. He came over and rubbed Scratch's shoulder. "You're gonna make a great big sister to someone, someday."

Scratch looked down. She knew her chance of being adopted at age 14 was pretty slim. "Yeah. Right."

Nick went over to Cotton. "Cotton Honey! It's time for daddy and Scratch to go take on the bad hawks. Judy and Gideon already got one down, so it looks like we'll only have to deal with one! Easy-peasy!"

Cotton was real worried. "B-but you're injured! Your shoulder!"

"Yeah, it still hurts and I haven't gotten it wrapped yet, but I'm tough! Don't you worry! Now go give Scratch a hug goodbye."

"NO!" She said. "She'll scratch me! She's real bad! You don't know!"

"HEY! Nick said with a bit of anger. "Scratch is a very sweet girl who just has a bit of a temper. Also, she can't scratch you because she doesn't have any claws! She took your place and you wouldn't be here with me if it wasn't for her! So go give her a hug goodbye."

"B-b-but!..."

"NOW!" Nick said sternly. Cotton slowly crept over to Scratch only to give her a microsecond of a hug and then hobbled away real fast.

Nick and Scratch stood up to leave. "I'm sorry about that, Scratch."

"I'm used to it." The hyena said with a bit of sadness to her voice. They went back upstairs to meet with Stu.

Stu ran back with some weapons. He was a bit out of breath. "HAAA! HOOO! Okay! Judy has my rifle, so I got us a pitchfork, a shovel and a machete! That should do it!"

Nick gave it some thought. "The machete's a bit extreme, but I'll take it!"

"Good!" Stu said. "Let's hurry up and go!"

They all ran to the limo. "Nick and Scratch sat in the back while Stu drove."

Nick and Scratch sat together. "While Stu's driving, there's some things I want to talk to you about."

 **Meanwhile, the mayor has arrived with his assistant, Thomas Redtail.**

The mayor took a good look at the hawk. "I can't believe someone managed to hurt poor Skinner this badly. Redfail! Go make us some coffee in the back and don't give me any lip or else you'll end up like the last assistant who had to 'retire'!"

"Y-yes sir!" Tom said with a jittery voice as he ran to the back. The mayor then turned his attention to the sheriff. "Mr. Griffin. Would you be so kind as to let our dear friend out?"

"Are you crazy?!" Judy shouted. "He's a killer!"

"Young lady, that hawk and his kin have given me all the power I could ask for!" the mayor said to Judy with a sneer. "No more re-elections! No more candidates to deal with! This is now MY town! And I'll keep those hawks well fed to keep it that way!"

The ram went and got the keys to unlock Skinner's cell. The hawk was still knocked out.

"You'll never get away with this!" Judy shouted.

"Little lady...I.."

"Already have!" Gideon interrupted. "That's what'chu where gonna say, wasn't it?"

The mayor was flustered. "Yes but...SHUT UP! REDFAIL! Where's my blasted coffee?!"

"R-right here sir!" Tom said. In his hurry, he "accidentally" dropped the coffee onto the mayor's jacket.

The mayor was livid. "GAAAHH! You idiot! You could've burned me! This jacket costs more than a month of your salary! Help me take it off."

The mayor turned around and Tom helped remove the jacket. But then, with his back turned to Tom, he felt a hard cylinder of cold steel pressed against him.

"Don't move Sucktooth or I'll shoot you dead right here, right now!" Tom said with authority. He pointed at Andy and Blarney who were trying to drag the hawk out. "You two! Release the prisoners or you're next! I'm a damn good shot!"

The sheriff did as he asked. The mayor was trying to plea bargain. "You're making a big mistake! I can give you money! Power! The freedom to do whatever you want!"

"The only freedom I want is to be free of these hawks! Now get in the cell with your pal there." He looked over at Judy and Gideon. "If you two would be so kind as to put those two in the cell as well?"

They threw all three of them in with Skinner and locked the cell.

Tom took a good look at the three prisoners. "You better hope your friend Skinner isn't in a bad mood when he wakes up!"

The mayor grabbed the bars of the cell and shook them. "You can't stop me! I'll make sure you pay!"

Tom threw his "weapon" into the cell and the mayor caught it. "Here's a roll of quarters, call someone who cares!"

The mayor threw down the roll in frustration. "Damn fox! We've been hustled!"

Tom handed the keys over to Gideon. "I saw a locker full of weapons in the back. See if these keys will open them."

Judy was incredibly impressed. Her heart started to race. "That was _incredible!_ That hustle reminded me of the kind my boyf-err... _ex_ -boyfriend would do. What's your name if I may ask?"

Tom bent down and kissed the back of Judy's hand. "Thomas Redtail, at your service, m'lady!"

Judy ears blushed and she giggled. Gideon saw the whole thing from the back.

" _Ooooh Boy!"_ He thought. _"Nick ain't gonna like this one bit!"_


	20. Chapter 20: What's in a Name?

Chapter 20: What's in a Name?

 **Sunday, 2:50pm**

Stu was driving the limo at full speed. Easy to do when there's no one on the roads. The Feeding Day hours were almost done. Still, Stu kept one eye on the road and one in the sky. Okay, not literally! I mean, he'd look pretty messed up if he did, but basically his eyes darted back and fourth looking for danger.

Nick and Scratch were in the back. It was awkwardly quiet. He cared deeply about Scratch and knew she had potential to be something greater than she was. He also didn't want her stuck in a room again, alone and unloved. But he also didn't feel he was ready to adopt _another_ kid. This one, an angry teen no less. He decided to break the ice.

"So...look. I'm sorry for what I said earlier. It's obvious by the way you treat Petey that you're not gonna snap at them in an instant."

"You don't really know me. You don't know what I've done." She replied.

"I know enough that you're just a lonely kid wanting someone to actually give a damn about you. That's why you like Petey so much hunh? He's the first child who wasn't afraid of you?"

"Yeah." she said. "That's part of it."

He took a good look at her. "Wow! You really cleaned up good! The gray on your fur isn't as dark and I can see a lot more spots than I could before."

He started teasing her and poking her spots with his finger. Making her giggle. "There's one here and here and here..."

"Hee-hee-hee! Stop it!"

"...and this one here...and this one looks like a hidden Mickey!"

She giggled some more.

"That's it! I've decided."

" _You're going to adopt me?!"_ Scratch thought with excitement.

"Scratch is a dumb name. I'm calling you 'Spots'!"

Scratch was angry. "Hey! I like my name!"

"Why?" Nick asked. "You have no claws so you can't scratch anything."

"I have a scratch on my nose!" She protested.

"That's a scar..." Nick argued. "...and that name's already been taken."

"I like it cuz it sound bada-...umm..badbutt!"

Nick chuckled "Bad butt?!"

"I promised Pete I wouldn't swear. That's...gonna be tough."

"I bet." Nick replied. "Listen Spots,...can you tell me WHY you're called 'Scratch'?"

She looked away. "I don't like to talk about it. It's too painful. I...I did something really, REALLY bad! Something I can never take back."

Nick put his arm around her. "Tell you what. I'll tell you a painful secret about my past that hurts to talk about too, if you tell me how you got the name 'Scratch'."

Scratch's ears blushed. He really did remind her of her gentle father she lost just a few years ago. She wanted to lean her head against his shoulders. Instead, she pulled away a bit.

"You go first." She said.

He agreed. "Okay."

Nick steadied himself. "This isn't easy to talk about. I mentioned it to Judy last night in our big fight and it let me get a lot of my emotions I was bottling up out so I should be good now."

He took a deep breath. " When I was just a kid, my father went to prison for a crime he didn't commit. When I turned twelve, I ran away from home because child services was going to take me away from my mother since she could barely afford me anymore. I never returned home even after I turned eighteen. The reason for that, was because when I was fifteen, my mother forced me to go visit my father. I was an angry kid at the time, not unlike you."

He took another deep breath. "I said a lot of nasty things I didn't really mean. I told him..." He pinched his eyes, trying to hold back tears, but to no avail. Still, it was nowhere near as bad as the night before. "I told him h-he should kill himself so mom could collect the insurance. I.. _SNIFF!_..I guess he agreed because he hung himself in his cell that very night! I never forgave myself and I never told my mom what I said. I think...I think it's time I told her. Even if she might hate me for the rest of my life."

He looked away from her to weep a little. She rubbed his back. "Yeah, well...what you did was just words. He didn't have to listen! He took the easy way out!"

"HEY!" Nick said angrily.

"You only said words! I left someone damaged for life!"

"Fine!" Nick said. "If you think you can top me, tell me."

She rubbed her arm. Nick noticed there were bite marks on them. "I've...I've been at the orphanage for two years now. My first year was tough. I had a hard time making friends. I mean, 99 percent of the school is bunnies. There's a few foxes, sheep and a pig, but here I am, the only hyena. A rough and tough lesbian with a nasty temper too!"

Scratch looked away blissfully. "Then, she came to the orphanage. Her name was...is...Rose. She was the most beautiful rabbit...the most beautiful girl I ever saw. Her face. Her eyes. The cute way she smiled. I decided to approach her and make friends and...we hit it off right away! I wasn't sure if she was gay too, but I had a good feeling. I could kinda smell it on her."

Scratch explained herself. "That's the thing about me. I can kinda smell people's...true nature. I know it sounds odd, but it's like with Stu. When I first met him he smelled horrible to me. Like a bad combination of fear and greed. Now...he smells a little better. Whatever he's doing, I think he's on the right track."

"As far as Rose goes, I knew how she felt before she did. I finally got the courage to tell her how I felt and... _SNIFF!_ and she loved me back!" Her ears drooped. "But...but it didn't last long. We were kissing heavily under a tree when some of her friends caught us making out. All of the sudden, she acted like she wasn't gay and pushed me away screaming _'Get off me you faggot!'_ "

Nick winced. "..Ouch!"

"It gets worse." Scratch looked at her fingers on her paws. "I got _SO_ mad! I lost control of myself! I..."

She started to sob. "I attacked her! I-I-I took that face! That beautiful, beautiful face and shredded it like confetti! I almost kill-hilled herrrr!" She wept into her paws.

Nick didn't know how to react. He just sat there. "My God!...Spots..I..."

"I'M A MONSTER! _SNIFF!_ Her face is now a mangled bunch of flesh, bits of fur and scars. Lots of scars! She... _SNIFF!_ She's m-m-missing part of her lip an-and she can't see out of one of her eyes. ALL MY FAULT! I can never be forgiven for that! NEVER!"

Tears were pouring down and she hugged her own knees. "Now, she wears a hood and a mask and sometimes...sometimes, she finds me and takes off the mask to remind me of what I've done! I'm so scared of her now! Her mangled face will haunt me the rest of my life!"

Nick held her close to him. She stayed in the same position. Hugging her knees. " _SNIFF!_ The next day, the nun demanded I go and get de-clawed. I didn't fight it. In fact, I agreed with her. So now you know why they call me 'Scratch'...and why the children are so afraid of me. Crazy Le-...Cotton saw it happen. That's why I frighten her so much. _SNIFF!_ Do you kn-know what it's like to want to love and protect people only for them to fear and hate you?"

"I'm a predator who's also a cop so...no. Of course not." Nick said sarcastically. Scratch laughed.

"Have you attacked anyone since?" Nick asked.

"No. But...I'm afraid I might snap again someday."

"What you did was horrible, but it can't be undone. Accepting it is the only way you can move on. Sounds like you learned your lesson. But if that's so, why do you have bite marks on your arm?"

Scratch sighed. "Sometimes, I have rage fits and if I don't have desks to throw around I...I bite myself."

"DON'T DO THAT!" Nick said sternly. "Look if you feel the need to bite yourself again, bite me! I can take it! I'll buy you a chew toy or something later."

"You're not always gonna be there for me. Or did you forget I'm going back to the orphanage tomorrow?! What do I do then?!"

Nick looked away. "Yea, well..."

Scratched ears perked up. She had a look of hope in her eyes. "Well what?!"

Nick fidgeted a little. He started to connect with her strongly, but he just felt he wasn't ready to take on another child. "Maybe...Gideon could take you! Yeah! I'm sure if I ask him ,he.."

Scratch hit Nick hard in the shoulder. "I DON'T WANT GIDEON FOR MY DAD! I WANT YOU! I...LOVE..YOU!"

"OW!" Nick yelled "Watch it! That's my bad shoulder!"

Scratch started to sob. "I pour my heart out and this is how you treat me?! When you fought off the hawk, you said you cared about me! Was that a lie?!"

"What?!" Nick replied. "No! Of course I care! It's just.."

"Just what?!" She yelled. "I want you as my dad! I want Cotton as my little sister! I want Petey as my little brother!"

Nick corrected her. "Petey has parents! I'm sorry Spots, but I just got Cotton. I'm just now learning what it means to be a dad. I love you kid, I do and I really, REALLY wanna take you with me, but I'm in a one room apartment with a bunny I just broke up with and we have two kids between us. It's...it's just...REALLY bad timing right now!"

Scratch wiped her tears. "I know, it's just...I want my old, normal life back! I don't want kids scared of me! I want to go back to the way it was with my mom and dad! Back when I was happy and not a psycho! Back when I wasn't 'Scratch'. Back when I was Vivian."

Nick's jaw dropped. He fell back to the floor. "Your real name...is Vivian?!"

Scratch looked confused. "Yeah? Why?"

Nick got to his knees and mocked a heart attack. "I can't believe it! My heart! I'm comin' ta join you dad! In that big wheat field in the sky! Vivian! I can't believe it! I can-Hee! Hee! Heee! He curled into a ball.

Scratch started to chuckle. "What's wrong with you?"

Nick laughed and smiled. "Ha! Ha! Vivian!...Of all the names!...Okay. I give up kid. You win. I'll adopt you."

Scratch hugged the curled Nick from behind. "Are you serious?! Really?! Thank you! Thank YOUUU!"

Nick uncurled and hugged her. "Yea. That was the cherry on top. Vivian is my mother's name."

She laughed. "So?"

Nick sat up. "My mother's been dying to be a grandmother for a while now. I was so excited to be bringing Cotton to her house and surprise her with her first grandchild. Can you imagine what will happen when Vivian Wilde meets her second new granddaughter, Vivian Wilde?!"

Scratch was a little disappointed. "That's it? That's the main reason?"

Nick put her arm around her shoulders. "No. Like I said, that was the cherry on top. Cotton could use a big sister to watch out for her and you _really_ need someone to watch out for you. I can't let you go back to sitting in that empty classroom. Next time you're getting a fit and need to bite down on something, I'll be there to chew on. Okay?"

Scratch looked away. "But...but what if I have another violent fit and hurt Cotton?!"

"I have faith you'll never do that and as soon as we get back to Zootopia, I'm bringing you in for anger therapy. Okay?"

She was getting misty eyed. "Okay, old man.." She chuckled.

"Old man?! I'm 34! Call me 'dad' or 'daddy' or even 'pops'!"

She giggled. " 'Pops?' Is this the 1950's? I'll call you 'dad', sometimes 'daddy' if I want something or if I get in trouble!"

"HA! Smart kid. 'Scratch' is dead. Love live Vivian Wilde. AKA 'Spots'! I'm sorry I left you dangling like that kid...I love you."

She leaned her head against Nick as he softly sang to her.

 _You made me looove you! I didn't wanna do it. I didn't wanna do it._

"Tough shirt!" She chuckled.

"...What?"

"I can't cuss. Remember?"

They both laughed together.

 **Sunday, 3:00pm**

Back in the jail cell, Judy, Gideon and Tom left together a little while ago. The sheriff is banging at the door lock with the roll of quarters, hoping to get it open. One last hard bash and the roll burst open, quarters spilling everywhere.

"Blast it!" The sheriff yelled. "How're we supposed to get out now?!"

"Leave it to me!" Blarney the ram yelled. The deputy ran full speed at the door and bashed it hard with his horns, only to be knocked unconscious.

Skinner the hawk started to slowly stir awake. Sheriff Andy and Mayor Bucktooth were nervous as could be.

"OooooOOOoohh!" The hawk groggily said. "Where the heck am I?"

The mayor sucked up to Skinner in a big way."Skinner! My dear friend! We've been tricked by my assistant, another fat fox and a bunny cop! They threw you into this cell and tricked the rest of us into getting locked up with you!"

The hawk screeched. "The damn bunny cop! She hit me with a tranquilizer dart! Then that...OW! My achin' back!" The hawk rubbed his back area. "That fat bastard musta did a number on me while I was out!"

He then looked down. "...MY TALONS! They cut off the sharp tips of my talons! I'll kill them!"

He got up groggily. He ignored the pain shooting up his back and went to the door. "Get this blasted thing open!"

"W-w-we can't sir!" The nervous sheriff replied. "It's locked and they took the keys!"

With a snarl in his breath, Skinner took his now smooth talons and grabbed the cell door. Using his immense strength, he managed to rip the door free of it's hinges.

"Yes!" Shouted the mayor. "We're free!"

The hawk turned around. "No! I'M free! And I'm hungry. I need to refuel my energy."

The mayor and sheriff started to back up to the rear of the cell. The sheriff nervously spoke up. "W-w-well, we got some snickerdoodles in the mini-fridge!"

The hawk glared at them both. Drool coming off of his beak. "I'm not interested in...'Snickerdoodles'. I NEED MEAT!"

Blarney the ram smartly kept his eyes shut and pretended to still be knocked out so he wouldn't be noticed. He could still hear the blood curdling screams, the snapping of bone, the ripping of tendon. He then felt the warm blood of the dead and devoured sheriff soaking into his wool.

 **Sunday 3:15pm**

Judy, Gideon and Tom were dropping off the kits at the orphanage. They managed to nab a few more along the way. Judy was flirting with Tom the entire way there much to Gideon's chagrin.

Gideon knocked on the door of the head office. Sister Mary came out. She saw the dozen kits behind Gideon.

"What on earth is going on?" She asked.

"Sorry ta bother ya ma'am, but we rounded up these here kits and stopped the hawks from getting' to 'em! Ends up, there's only two of them, so we're fightin' back! Scratch is with Nick and she's gonna help fight 'em too!"

"Are you folks crazy?!" The nun asked.

Tom replied. "Crazy like a couple of foxes!"

Gideon laughed. "Jus' make sure these kits don't get adopted er' nuthin'! We'll let their parents pick them up tomorrow once this is all over."

The nun clasped her hands. "Bless you! Bless you all! Please, tell Scratch that I'm sorry."

"Will do sister!" Gideon said and they took off.

Tom recounted what was up so far. "Okay! We got the kits dropped off, we got weapons, the Sheriff was kind enough to give us the location of the hawks once we had a gun to his head and now all we have to do is meet back up with your old boyfriend Nick..."

He looked at Judy. "...You two are on the outs, right? He seems like a good man."

"We're only friends now. He ruined any chance of a romantic relationship last night. Why do you ask?" She said batting her eyes.

Tom was nervous. "Oh! Heh-heh, no particular reason."

Gideon gritted his teeth. " _Dangit Judy! Give Nick a chance!"_ He thought to himself. Then, he saw him in the rear view mirror. A horror swept across his face. There was no time to react.

"Judy!" Gideon screamed. "Get your dart g-"

With the passenger side door missing, Skinner was able to quickly grab Judy with his talon and started pulling her away. The seat belt kept her inside temporarily. She tried grabbing at her gun, but a strong tug puller her out of the truck. Her gun dropping to the floor of the seat.

"Judy!" Tom screamed. He grabbed her feet to try and keep her inside. He pulled back only for the hawk to yank him out with her.

"You wanna come along?! Fine! I'll kill ya when I get home!" Skinner grabbed Tom by the other cut talons and started to fly away. Gideon spun the truck around and gave chase.

"JUDY! TOM! DON'T WORRY! AH'LL COME SAVE YOU!" Gideon shouted. Panic was in his voice.

"Don't worry about us!" Judy said. "Go get Nick and Scratch!"

The hawk flew even faster. The truck could no longer keep up.

"JUDY!" Gideon screamed. "JUUUDEEEE!...and Tom!...to a lesser extent."


	21. Chapter 21: Could it Get Any Worse?

Chapter 21: Could it Get Any Worse?

 **A/N: I've had a few people tell me that Judy's being too mean and vindictive to Nick. I wanted to make a reminder that her emotional state isn't too great right now. Look at what's happened to her since last night.**

 **Nick and her had a huge fight, a lot of which was Nick's fault for rushing into things.**

 **She found out Nick might have cheated on her with Jenny (he didn't go too far).**

 **During the fight, she found out she was ADOPTED which is really messing with her mind.**

 **She rushed into adopting Michael to save his life. She feels she's not ready to do so yet, but her mother won't let her back out of it.**

 **If Nick was flirting with Jenny, why shouldn't Judy flirt with Tom (who's actually a real nice guy)?**

 **Her emotional state will only get worse as she witnesses some horrors.**

 **For poor Judy, the worst is yet to come.**

 **Sunday, 3:20pm**

Feeding Time had ended. The kits down in the playroom were getting bored and restless. They were arguing with their mother, Bonnie.

"But MooOOOooom! The hawks are done for the day! It's boring down here! We wanna go outside and play! Well, everyone but Gamer Gary. He never gets any sun."

"Leave me alone! I'm teabagging newbs on Hay-doe Five! And where's my #$%ing chocolate milk?!"

Bonnie was concerned. Something wasn't sitting right with her, but she couldn't explain why. "I don't know. I've got a bad feeling.."

"AWWW! C'mon mom!"

Bonnie finally gave up. "Fine! Fine! Just...be careful! Jerry! Get that 'X' off the lawn and throw the boards in the trash!"

Petey helped lead Michael outside while Cotton followed behind on her crutches.

"C'mon!" Michael said to Cotton. "We can play 'hide and seek'! Just don't go to far. Okay?!I'll count to twenty, but you have to give me sound clues where you are since I'm blind."

Cotton and Petey giggled. They each ran over to a different tree. They didn't have to hide behind it since Michael couldn't see them anyway.

"...annd twenty! Ready or not! Here I come!" He started tapping away with a large stick.

"Marco!" Michael shouted.

.."Panda!" Cotton said. She giggled. Michael turned towards her.

They were all having fun. But then, they heard screaming. They were confused until they heard a screech in the sky.

"MIKE! LOOK OUT!" Screamed Cotton. But it was too late. The hawk had pinned him to the ground with his large talon.

"Sorry I'm late!" Zeke said. "Some damn foxes are making a mess of things!"

Cotton angrily hobbled over to him and started hitting him with her crutch. "You leave my boyfriend alone!" He gave her a gentle swat and knocked her down. "You want to interfere, than you can come with him!"

Bonnie burst out of the kitchen with a rolling pin. She screamed as she attacked Zeke with it. "LEAVE THEM ALONE!" She attacked his lower leg.

"Are you crazy?!" Zeke said. Just then, all the older siblings started to rush out the door with whatever weapons they could find. He saw that they were ready to attack so he pinned Bonnie to the floor and pushed a jagged talon by her throat.

"Don't make a move!" The hawk said. The siblings stopped in their tracks. "You idiots! I would have just taken the child and left. Now your mother will pay for your rebellion! Are you ready to commit to fighting me?! Are you ready to lose your whole family?!"

Bonnie was still defiant. "I'd rather DIE than let you take another child!"

Zeke was taken aback by this. No bunnies had stood up to him before, only a family of hares even dared. He then smiled. "And here I thought all bunnies were cowards." He eased up his talon on Bonnie. "You have earned my respect maddam. I will no longer take your children."

Bonnie was relieved. Zeke started to leave, but quickly grabbed Cotton and Michael. "Right after these two!" He took them by the talons and flew off quickly.

"NOOO!" Bonnie screamed. "GIVE THEM BACK! GIVE THEM BAAAACK!"

Petey ran out from under the tree. "COTTON! _GUUHH!_ MIKE!"

Bonnie was in a panic. "We have to alert Nick and Stu! Gideon still has his phone! We've got to get Stu's phone back!"

"Well, where is it?!" Jamie yelled.

"Scratch said she thew it down the well."

"Then it's lost!" Jamie said.

Petey threw up his hands. "I can _HHRRG!_ I can get it! I'm thmall!"

Jamie looked over to Bonnie. "It's worth a shot!"

They ran over to the well. Jamie put Petey inside the bucket. She looked at him. "Do you know how to swim?"

"Yeth ma'am!" Petey said back.

Jamie was unsure of this, but decided to go ahead. "Be very, VERY careful!" Bonnie and Jamie lowered Petey gently down, easing the rope down very slowly. They gave him a small flashlight so he can look down inside.

"Stu got the latest 'Z.O.S.' phone. Bonnie said to Jamie. "It's water tight so it should still work...I hope."

They felt the bucket hit the water below. "Use the flashlight!" Jamie said.

Petey dove in with the flashlight. Moments passed. Almost a full minute. Bonnie was starting to worry. "Oh! I hope he's okay! I'll never forgive myself!"

They then heard him. " _AAGG!_ I GOT IT!"

"Great! Get in!" Bonnie yelled. He climbed into the bucket and they pulled him back up.

Bonnie grabbed the phone. Jamie pulled Petey out and gave him a huge hug and kiss. "Thank you Petey! You were so brave!"

"Yeah. " Petey said with a smug look on his face. "I'm _HNNGH!_ I'm awethome."

 **Moments earlier...**

Stu had arrived at the sheriff's station with Nick and Spots. Stu hopped out of the car and pulled open the door only to find Spots (formerly Scratch) hugging Nick and licking his face.

Nick was giggling. "Hee-hee-hee! Okay! Heh-heh! Cut it out! We're here!"

Stu looked a little disturbed. "Do uhhh...do you two need some privacy?"

Nick explained. "No. Heh-heh! We're fine! She's just happy because I decided to adopt her."

Stu couldn't believe it. "Sweet cheese and crackers, Nick! ANOTHER one?! Why don't you just adopt the whole dang burrow?!"

"Maybe I will!" Nick said jokingly.

They noticed the door was open. Blood was streaked across it. Nick was in shock.

"Oh God! No!" They ran inside only to see the horror for themselves. Papers and items were strewn everywhere, but the real damage was in the cell. What was formerly sheriff Griffin and mayor Bucktooth was now a bloody mass of fur, bone and chunks of flesh. Stu couldn't handle it and vomited next to the counter. Nick looked closer, praying it wasn't Judy. He realized the fur had a fair amount of white, indicating old age and there was two torn up suits that identified them.

Spots walked by. She wasn't too affected by it all.. "Eww! Gross! Poor guys...Hey! A mini-fridge!"

Stu was shocked. "How can you have an appetite at a time like this?!

She just shrugged her shoulders. "I haven't eaten all day."

Then, Nick saw the quivering blob of wool in the corner. It's body turned towards the wall, covered in the blood of the other two victims.

Nick reached out a paw to touch him. "...Deputy?"

As Nick touched him, the deputy quickly turned and gave a blood-curdling scream. Everyone jumped back.

Stu recognized the ram right away. "Deputy Strife! Are you okay?!"

The rams eyes were wide open and he was trembling. "Okay?! I-I-I'll never be okay after what I saw!" The horror! THE HORROR!"

Nick picked the ram up off the ground and helped sit him in a chair. "Calm down." The fox said. "Just take your time and tell us everything! We all know the truth here, so don't lie!"

"Th-the bunny cop and some fat fox were here. They somehow managed to take down Skinner and threw him in one of our cells. The sheriff knew pissing off Skinner or any of the hawks was a bad idea so he arrested the two of them and put them in the other cell."

Nick noticed the other cell was open and no sign of a struggle. "I assume they escaped?"

"Y-y-yeah! The mayor showed up, but his assistant, Tom tricked him and they all locked us in the same cell as Skinner!"

"OH MY GOD!" Spots screamed.

Nick panicked. "What is it?! Are you okay?!"

"They have snickerdoodles!" Spots said. Lifting up a snack box. "I haven't had these since I was a cub!"

Nick facepawed. "Can you take this a LITTLE bit seriously?! There's two dead people here!"

"Fowwy dad!" Spots said with a mouthful of Snickerdoodles.

Nick just rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to Blarney. "What happened then?"

"H-he woke up! He was battered and hurt and someone trimmed his talons."

"Way to go, Judy and Gideon!" Nick said.

"Then, I saw him grab the door with his cut talons and used the power of his legs to rip it open like it was nothing!"

This got Spots attention. She looked at the mangled door in the corner. "He...ripped the door open? They're that strong?!"

"YES!" The deputy said. "He then said he was hungry. The sheriff offered him the snickerdoodles, but instead he...he. HE ATE THEM! It was the most awful thing I ever saw!"

Spots was starting to get scared as she listened in. "He bit into their faces and pulled them apart like they were taffy! The only thing that saved me was laying as still as possible so he only paid attention to them! He thought I was knocked out so he didn't care!"

Blarney grabbed Stu's shoulders, scaring the bunny. He stared into his eyes. "Zeke can be reasoned with, but Skinner?...Skinner's a madman! He loves to torture people! He gets off on watching people suffer before killing them! If I were you, I'd stay as far away from him as possible!"

Nick pulled Blarney off of Stu. "Okay! Okay! I think that's enough! We need to find Gideon, Judy and Tom. I think if all six of us worked together, we can take them down. Right Spots?...Spots?"

The hyena was distracted. She kept staring at the door with fear in her heart. She heard what Nick said, but was slow to react.

"SPOTS!"

"Oh! R-right!" She replied.

Nick winched his shoulder. I'm not gonna get anywhere with my shoulder like this. Is there any gauze around?"

"In the back." The ram replied.

"I'm on it!" Spots said and she checked the back and found the medicine cabinet. She returned with the supplies while Nick took off his shirt. It got awkward for Nick as Spots started licking his shoulder wound.

"Ummm...what are you doing?"

"Cleaning the wound, idiot! Don't get weird."

"Sorry."

She then starting spray the antiseptic onto the wound. "Besides, I licked your face earlier y'know? Your shoulder tastes less gross."

Nick hated the sting of the spray, but still chuckled. "Thanks a lot!"

She started wrapping the injury with a gauze. "My mom taught me this. Think of it as kissing a 'boo-boo', only it's beneficial as I'm getting rid of dirt or any yuckiness. Annnd there we go!" She finished with the gauze.

Nick moved his shoulder around. "Great job kiddo! You're good at this!"

"Thanks! She replied. "I used to get into a lot of scrapes as a cub."

They then heard a truck roaring by. It slammed on it's brakes and honked.

It was Gideon. "NICK! NICK IS THAT YOU?!"

"Yeah Gid! It's me!"

Gideon ran in and stopped to catch his breath. He saw the damage done by Skinner "GEEZ LOUISE! Nick! Nick! We gotta go right now!"

"What's happened?" Nick asked. "Where's Judy?!"

"It's Skinner! He caught up to us and took off with Judy and Tom! He's taking them to his shack to be eaten!"

Nick was in shock. "Dear God! We gotta leave now!"

Stu was getting real nervous. "I-I wanna save Judy, but...but!"

Nick had a plan. "Don't worry Stu. I've got something even more important for you to do!"

Stu pointed at himself. "M-Me? "

"Yes. Take Blarney with you in the limo and go to the hospital! Tell them everything! Expose this quarantine fraud so we can get the military in here!"

"Sounds great!" Stu said. "Wait! I'll need to broadcast the truth live, and the only one who's cell phone has access to the outside world is the mayors! Gideon's is even more limited than mine!"

"Okay." Nick said. He realized what he had to do. "This is not gonna be pretty."

Nick slowly made his way through the pool of blood and guts that the cell became. He found that the bottom half of the mayor was still intact with intestines spilling out from the top.

"Forgive me." Nick said and he fumbled around the mayor's pants pockets until he found the phone. It was intact with no bloodstains. Nick picked it up gently and slowly got out of the cell.

He gave the phone to Spots. "Have Blarney show you how to dust for prints. I'm gonna stand in the sink and wash the blood off my feet."

They dusted the phone for pawprints. The only numbers being touched heavily were "1,2,3,4 and 5."

"He can't be that dumb." Stu tried the numbered passcode "1, 2, 3, 4, 5" and it immediately unlocked. "Yup he's that dumb! Let's go Blarney! We...we may go to jail for this. I sponsored that dam that started this mess. Not to mention what you did!"

The ram followed to the car. "Considering what I witnessed, prison would be heaven!" They got in and took off.

Nick finished washing the blood off his feet. Then he, Spots and Gideon ran to the truck and took off.

Nick was upset. "Just when we need as much backup as possible, Judy and Tom are taken. Could this get any worse?!"

"Don't say that!" Spots protested.

"Why?"

Just then, Gideon's cell phone rang. All three of them looked at it. It kept ringing.

"Because...it's a jinx." Spots said. Looking at the phone. It kept ringing.

Nick looked back at Spots. "You threw Stu's phone in the well, right?"

"Yeah."

Gideon picked it up. "They must've got it back somehow! It's Stu's phone! Hello?...Hi Bonnie! How'd you get the phone back?...Petey went into the well?! How brave of him!...Okay! Okay! Ah'll stop talkin'!...Oh no!...NO! Sweet lord! We're on our way right now! Don't chu worry! We'll get 'em back! That's a promise!...AWW! I love you too! Bye!"

Nick was desperate to know what was going on. "What'd she say?!"

Gideon had a smile on his face. "Bonnie said she loved me. She ain't never said that befer! She must be warming up to..."

"BEFORE THAT YOU IDOT!"

Gideon spoke. "Oh! Sorry Nick! The other hawk came and took Cotton and Michael!"

"No...NO! COTTON! MY BABY! STEP ON IT! NOW!" Nick shouted.

"Right." Gideon did a 360 in the parking lot and took off at full speed toward the hills. The light rain from the morning came back pouring.

 **Meanwhile...**

Skinner entered the kitchen through the back with Tom and Judy in his talons. Tom seemed to be unconscious. It was a dreary, foul room. A single light swung overhead. It's light shining down onto a blood stained table full of cutting tools and silverware. To the left was the stove. A large pot could be seen on the burners. The oven itself had blood stained bunny paw marks across it's door. To the right was dozens of small cages piled high together. About a dozen or more young kits could be seen sobbing and crying

"Here's your new home, roach!" Skinner threw Judy into one of the cages. "Don't worry! You won't be in here long!" He then threw Tom into another cage. Judy's cage was incredibly filthy. The bottom of the cage was lined with dried fecal matter and blood and smelled of it. She looked over to another cage to see a bunny boy with bloody stumps where his limbs once were.

"Help me! Help me, please!" The bunny begged.

"Don't worry! I'm officer Judy Hopps of the Z.P.D.! I'll find a way to get us out of here!"

"It's Judy Hopps! The bunny cop!" One of the other bunnies yelled.

"SAVE US JUDY!" Another bunny screamed.

Skinner swatted at Judy's cage with a meat cleaver. "How DARE you give these little bastards hope! Let me show you true hell before I send you to heaven!"

He tore open one of the cages containing a little bunny girl.

"No! Please!" Shouted the little child.

Skinner took the bunny and slammed her onto the table. He then raised his meat cleaver.

"I need to get the stew ready! IT'S BUNNY-CHOPPIN' TIME! HAHAHAHAA!"

 **WARNING: Needless to say, the next chapter gets VERY graphic.**


	22. Chapter 22: Time for War

Chapter 22: Time for War

 **A/N: Another Warning, the latter half of this chapter is VERY graphic. Skinner's a sick MF'er.**

 **Sunday, 3:45pm**

The hospital was not too far from the police station so Stu arrived right away. Like the church, he had his own paid parking spot up close. He asked for a wheelchair for deputy Strife who was still in shock from the previous events.

"Have this man cleaned and seen to!" Stu said with authority. "He may need psychiatric care!"

Stu bolted in and headed towards the elevators. Before he could get in a young, female rabbit reporter stopped him.

"Rabbecca Longears from B.M.Z. news! Mr. Hopps! You're close to the mayor, can you give us an update on the virus outbreak and what's being done about the hawks?!"

Stu invited Rabbecca into the elevator. He had a smile on him a mile wide. "Miss! Your timing couldn't have been more perfect! Come with me! You're about to win a Pulitzer!"

The rabbit was real confused. Then, Stu pushed the button for the tenth floor.

The reporter was shocked. "Sir! Th-that's the floor where they're taking care of patients with the E-Bunya virus! We don't have permission!"

"I don't care." Said Stu. "Truth is, there is NO E-Bunya yirus. The mayor lied to keep the citizens trapped in the city. You and I are gonna expose the mayor's lies right now!"

"I-I-I don't believe it!" Rabbecca said in shock. "Where's the mayor now?"

"Dead." Stu replied. "Him and the sheriff were eaten alive by one of the hawks. The deputy saw the whole thing. He's being taken care of right now."

They were almost there. Stu turned to the reporter and gave her the phone. He had set it up on his Hopps Farms Ewetube and Furbook accounts to broadcast live. He then stopped the elevator for a moment and looked into the camera.

"This is Stu Hopps of 'Hopps Farms'. I'm here with Rabbecca Longears from B.M.Z. For the last 3 months, our fair town has been terrorized by a small group of hawks that have been taking our children to feed on! On top of that, a supposed E-Bunya virus has kept our town in quarantine. Our communications to the outside world were shut off. This was all due to the decisions made by Mayor Bucktooth!"

Stu bowed his head. "Partially due. You see...six months prior, the mayor and I devised a plan to bring more water to the Bunnyburrow river. Our water was drying out due to a drought and over-consumption from our incredibly high population. We came up with a plan to subvert the water from one of the branching rivers to bring more water in. I sponsored the building of the dam. What I didn't know at the time was that the river the mayor decided to dam belonged to Featherton. It...dried their lake and killed their fish, killing off their main water and food supply. That's why these hawks are here in the first place! While I was unaware of where the water was being subverted, I _have_ to take responsibility for my actions and …...inactions for these hawk attacks. There are a brave group of foxes along with some others about to take the fight to the hawks as I speak. For now, I have to stop this false quarantine at any cost!"

He pressed the button to start the elevator back up. "Keep calm and follow my lead."

The doors opened. Stu strutted out like he owned the place. The guards immediately stopped him.

"Sir! This is a strict quarantine zone! Only those with top level clearance are permitted in!"

Stu scoffed. "Don't you know who I am?!" He flashed his library card so fast, they couldn't make out anything. "I'm Stu Hopps! Friend and right hand to the mayor himself! This is my...assistant. I have level ten clearance! We demand to be let in! The mayor will be joining us shortly."

The guards shrugged their shoulders and Stu and Rabbecca walked in. "So boys! What's on the agenda for today? The usual?"

"Yeah." Said one of the guards. "Just hanging out and playing cards. Real dull."

Rabbecca then asked a foolish question. "If this is a deadly virus why is no one wearing any safety gear to guard them from an outbreak?"

"...What?" Said one of the guards.

Stu stuttered for a second. "Oh! Uhh y-yeah! She's right! I mean, we have to keep up appearances even if there is no virus! Someone without clearance could just walk right in and them BAM! Secrets out...right?"

The guard was starting to get suspicious. He glared at Stu "Why is she holding a cell phone?! Let me see your clearance pass again!"

Stu pointed at one of the rooms labeled "Contaminated". "RUN IN THERE! NOW!"

Stu and Rabbecca ran as fast as they could. A guard grabbed Rabbecca, but she managed to throw Stu the phone. He caught it just as moose guard stood before the door. He kept running and did a baseball slide under the moose's legs, kicking open the flapping doors into the room.

"GET BACK HERE!" The moose yelled.

Stu burst through the door only to find two more guards just playing checkers. He quickly put the camera on them. "See folks?! See?! It's all a lie! There is no virus! The mayor wanted us trapped in here! Open the gates!"

Security tackled him while he still had the camera running live on Ewetube. "Open the gates! Save us from the hawks!"

 **Meanwhile...**

Gideon was driving up the winding road going up the hill towards the hawks shack. They still had a fair amount of time before they got there and Gideon saw Nick with his head down and his paws clasped. He tried to lighten the mood with some singing.

 _The long and winding road..tha-at leads...to some nasty hawks!_

There was nothing but silence.

"Sorry. Ah tried." He looked over at Nick. "Whut are y'all doin, if ah may ask?"

"Praying." Nick replied. "I was never one much for it before, but today's a damn good day for it."

"Well, if'n ya don't mind, throw in one fer me. Okay?"

"Already done, brother." Nick replied. Gideon smiled and patted his shoulder. They could hear some giggling from behind.

"Hee-hee! Hee-hee-hoohohohoho!"

Nick looked concerned. "What's so funny?"

"N-n-nothing! Spots said. "I'm a hyena. We laugh when we're nervous! I'm...I'm a little scared."

"You 'n me both!" Gideon replied.

Nick unbuckled himself from the front seat and climbed in the back to hold Spots. He spoke to her gently. "Hey. Hey calm down kiddo! This isn't like you! Didn't you stare down Skinner earlier today with no fear? You told him to shut up and kill you!"

"I-I know! It's just...at the time, I had nothing left to live for! Now, I have you, Cotton and Petey! I wanna fight for them but Skinner...He's so mean and strong! I...He tore that door open like it was nothing!"

She buried her head into Nick's chest and sobbed "I'm so scared, daddy!"

Nick rubbed her back and rested his head on hers. "Shhh! It's okay, sweetheart! It's okay! I'm scared too. It would be insane for us not to be scared, but that's what heroes do. They go all in knowing the dangers they face and they overcome their fears to tackle those dangers. Just stay with me and you'll be okay."

Just then, the shadow of Zeke the hawk flew overhead. Gideon could hear the screech. Nick and Spots looked out the window to see Cotton and Mike hanging from the hawk's talons.

"There she is!" Nick said.

"Oh my God! Cotton!" Spots added. She was worried. "We gotta hurry! They're so huge! What are we gonna do?!"

"SHUT UP SPOTS!" Gideon had an angry look. He didn't need Spots being afraid. He needed the old Spots. He needed Scratch. In order to do that, he needed his old self to come out. Bully Gideon had returned.

Spots was confused. "What'd I do?"

"Stop being such a Goddamn pussy!"

"HEY!" Nick yelled.

Gideon started mocking Spots which only made her angry. " 'Awww! Boo-Hoo! Ah'm scared of the big, bad hawk! Fuck that! Ah don't need some scared little wuss! You wanna go cryin' to yer daddy, then you can get the hell out of my truck!"

"SHUT UP ASSHOLE! Dammit! I'm sorry Petey! I promised I wouldn't swear!""

"What the hell's wrong with you Gideon?!" Nick asked. He was confused at this sudden turn his friend had.

"What? Are you afraid 'o cuss words now?! Go ahead and swear! Who gives a crap what that stupid, _ugly_ bunny with the lisp thinks?!"

Spots lunged for Gideon only for Nick to hold her back.

"YOU BASTARD! I'LL KILL YOU!"

"Gideon stop it!" Nick yelled.

"Or else what?! You've both have become a bunch of soft, little queers afraid of some birds! Ah don't need Spots right now! Spots is a nice, timid girl who loves her daddy and is a little chicken shit! Just like Cotton and Petey!"

She was enraged. Spots kept pulling herself towards Gideon only for Nick to keep pulling back at her.

"RRRAAAAAHHH!"

"Ah need Scratch! Ah need the psycho hyena who wants ta kick a ton of ass and rip the feathers off those damn birds! Are you gonna be that girl or not?! You little faggot!"

Spots was gone. Only Scratch remained. "GRRRRAAAHHH! DAD! GIMMIE YOUR ARM!"

"What?"

 _CHOMP!_

"YEEEOWW!"

Scratch bit hard into Nick's arm. Not enough to draw blood, but still incredibly painful.

"OW! Spots! I mean, Scratch! I mean...OW! I know I agreed to this but...OW!"

"Now are you gonna lay the beat down to those hawks or not?!" Gideon asked.

"I'M GONNA TEAR THEIR GODDAMN BEAKS OFF! HURRY THE HELL UP YOU FAT FUCK!"

Gideon pumped his arm. "Now THAT'S what ah wanted ta hear!...Sorry 'bout what ah said, but I had ta get you there. Y"know?!"

Nick was still in pain. "Ow! OW! Could you at least go up the arm a bit? I got an itch." Scratch then bit at his biceps. "Aaahh! It still hurts, but feels kinda good. Thanks."

Gideon looked back at the two of them. "Now are you two ready to kick some hawk ass?!"

"YEAH!" They shouted.

"LET'S GOOOO!" Gideon shouted back and sped up the truck.

 **Moment's earlier...**

"IT'S BUNNY-CHOPPIN' TIME! HAHAHAHAA!" The evil hawk swung down the meat cleaver...

...And stopped right at the girl bunnies neck.

"Y'know what? On second thought, I'll just kill someone else."

"R-Really?" Asked the hopeful little bunny.

"...No." He sliced his cleaver down hard and the little bunny's head rolled off the table and onto the floor.

The sick hawk laughed. "BAA-HAA-HAAHAHAHAAA!"

Judy was enraged. Tears were in her eyes. "You sick bastard! Leave them alone! I'll kill you!" She started kicking at the entrance to the cage.

"Knock it off or you're next!" The hawk yelled. Then proceeded to skin the fur off the dead bunny.

Judy was looking over at Tom Redtail. "Tom! Tom, please wake up!" The fox just laid on his side. One paw sticking out of the cage.

Skinner argued with Judy. "I'm not sick! I'm a predator! I'm just doing what we should be doing all along! Hell, we're doin' you bunnies a favor! Without us preds around, you've over-populated yerselves so much that it's even affecting our lake back home!"

"Even the most savage of predators don't get a sick kick out of murdering children!"

"Ya got me there little bunny!" Skinner chuckled as he chopped up the rest of the bunny to put in the pot.

"Sometimes, I.." He heard a clinking sound. He quickly turned his head around and looked. Nothing. Tom was still passed out with his paw still outside the cage.

"Sometimes, I skin 'em alive!" Skinner said as he went to look for another bunny. "Hmmm...the fox is out. No fun when they're unconscious." He looked at the fat bunny with no limbs. "I'm havin' too much fun with you rolley-polley!" He then grabbed a white-furred boy bunny. "You'll do!"

The little boy struggled. "No! Please! I want my mommy!"

"Zeke took my serrated knife away." Skinner explained. "I used to have fun ru-"

 _Click, click._

"WHO'S DOIN' THAT?!" The hawk screamed. He looked around and everyone was cowering in the back of their cages. He turned his attention back to the bunny.

Judy looked over. She finally saw where the noise was coming from. When Skinner had his back turned, Tom was faking being unconscious while using his long claw to try and unlock his cage.

" _Sly fox."_ Judy thought. _"Hope it works."_

Skinner turned his attention back to the bunny. "Anyway, I use to have a serrated knife. I used to LOVE running it back and fourth across their little necks like a saw! Hearing them scream in such a high pitch!" He says this while rubbing the cleaver lightly across the little bunny's neck. Teasing him. The boy was crying his eyes out

"You sick monster!" Judy shouted.

"Watch this!" Skinner then sliced the long ears off the boy bunny. The bunny screamed in pain.

"STOP TORTURING THEM!" Judy screamed.

Skinner put the bloody bunny ears up to his head. "Hello? Hello? I can't hear you! HAHAHAHAAA!"

 _Click-CLINK!_

"What the..." The hawk looked down. Tom's cage was empty. He then saw the kitchen door leading to the dining room open and shut quickly.

"HA-HAA!" Looks like yer little boyfriend decided to split before I splitted him! Oh well."

"That coward!" Judy yelled.

Just then, Zeke came into the kitchen through the back door with Cotton and Michael in tow.

"Put these children in cages and get prepared. We have company coming up the road. Two foxes and a Hyena."

"How sweet! More meat!" Skinner replied.

Zeke looked down at Skinner's table. "Did you chop off his ears?! What the hell's wrong with you?! I told you a million times to kill them with mercy! We're not doing this for fun y'know?!"

"YOU'RE not!" Skinner replied. "I'm just doin' what comes natural. You know what your problem is Zeke? You're soft! You act all noble and shit, but really,. Deep down you and yer kin are the same as me and you know it!"

Zeke got in his face. "If I ever catch you torturing another kit, you'll see how _not_ alike we really are! I hope you're almost done. They're starving!" Zeke then left.

" _THEY?!"_ Thought Judy. _"Oh no! Is there more of them?!"_ Judy then saw who Skinner was stuffing in the cages.

"Alright!" Yelled Skinner as he stuffed cotton in a cage. "Haven't had veil in a _long_ time!" He then looked at Michael. "This one looks defective. His eye's are all white!"

"MICHAEL!" Judy screamed

"Momma Judy!" Michael yelled back.

It was music to Skinner's ears. " 'Momma Judy?!' HA-HAA! If he had screamed just 'momma' or 'mommy', I would have thought he was just cryin' for his mother, but you said his name and he said yours back! Say 'goodbye' to your momma!"

Skinner grabbed Michael out of his cage. Cotton was screaming. Judy was screaming as well. She was banging her feet hard on the front of the cage.

He knocked the earless bunny off the table who then scurried away as fast as he could. Skinner slammed the blind bunny boy onto the bloody table. "I could just chop off your head OR..I could slice you right in the middle and watch you die a slower, painful death! HAHAHAAA!"

He raised his cleaver to chop the bunny. For Judy, it was like everything went into slow motion. As she was kicking at the cage door, her mind flashed back to a conversation she had with her mother. Back when she was unsure about Michael.

"It's just...everything's going so fast! I'm not ready! Mom, how will I know when I'm ready to be a mother?"

"You'll know." Bonnie said. "There will come a time when you feel that you would do _anything._ Make _any_ sacrifice to see him safe and happy. That's why I'm giving him to you. Because I failed to do just that. You'll know he's yours when even the thought of losing him will be like losing a huge part of yourself."

Judy finally managed to smash open the cage, but it was too late. The cleaver was swinging down.

"HAHAHAHAAA!"

Skinner swung down and cut deep...

…...deep into Tom Redtail's upper arm, blocking the cleaver from hitting Michael. The fox yipped in pain.

"ARE YOU CRAZY?!" The red-tailed hawk screamed.

"I'll lose ALL my limbs before I let you harm another child!" Tom yelled.

Judy jumped onto Skinner's back and bit into his neck hard.

Zeke stood in front of the shack as the pickup truck arrived. Gideon, Nick and Scratch all got out of the truck. Weapons in hand. The heavy rain beat down on their fur as lighting forked from up above.

"Well...well...well...What do we have here?!" Zeke asked.

Nick looked at him smugly, rifle slung over his shoulder. "Well, we're the local welcoming committee. We heard we have new neighbors and thought we'd stop by."

It was on.


	23. Chapter 23: The Hills Have Eyas

Chapter 23: The Hills Have Eyas

 **A/N Warning! Brutal violence ahead. Blood will be shed. Limbs will be lost.**

 **That said, get ready for the most action-packed chapter I've ever written!**

 **Sunday, 4:05pm**

The guards had Stu and Rabbecca tied up. Stu informed them of everything, but they wouldn't believe him.

"Some Pulitzer!" Rabbecca complained.

"Relax." Stu said. "They can't hold us here forever. Everything will come out soon."

He turned to one of the guards. "Has ANYONE here gone to the sheriff's like I asked? You can find your dead mayor there! You're not getting paid anymore you idiots! If you want proof, call my phone that you confiscated!"

"Yeah, right!" Said one of the guards.

"Call him!" Stu said.

The head guard was the only one with a proper cell phone. Everyone else used standard walkie-talkies.

"Alright." The head guard made the call. The phone Stu was holding was now in possession of the guards. It rang.

The head guard was surprised. "That...that _is_ the mayor's phone!" He picked it up.

"The passcode is '1, 2, 3, 4, 5'." Stu replied.

"Well I'll be! That's the same combination I have on my luggage!" He unlocked the phone. "Let me check the camera."

The camera had some incriminating photos of the mayor. Including him and the guards stupidly taking selfies with the hawks.

The head guard was shocked. "Oh man! If the public gets a hold of this, we'll be behind bars for a long time! We were in on it! Do you know what this means?!"

He then picked up a scalpel nearby and pointed it at Stu. "It means I have to destroy this phone and you two don't leave this floor alive!"

"Oh no!" Said Stu. "That was a REALLY dumb move on my part! Is it too late to apologize and forget the whole thing?!"

Stu gulped in fear. Rabbecca begged. "I'd like to go on the record as saying I'm not with this man! He tricked me into going along with all of this!"

The head bunny guard handed the phone to the moose guard. "Here! Crush this!"

Suddenly, the elevator doors opened. Blarney Strife came out with his gun drawn along with some big, strong members of the medical staff.

"Hold it right there! Hand over that phone! This entire hospital knows the truth now. The head doctors were wondering where these 'virus experts' came from. I told them everything. This ends now!"

The deputy motioned towards one of the rooms. "Lock them in there for now. Hopefully, the authorities will be here soon."

Stu was surprised. "Why are you doing this? You were in on it too y'know?"

"I know." Blarney said. "After what I saw, I HAD to do something!...Well, that and I figured I was going to jail no matter what. Might as well do something heroic to get time off my sentence."

"Can't blame you for that." Stu chuckled. "Now, let me see that phone. The guards at the blockade won't let anyone in unless they have the mayor's permission. Luckily, I do a pretty good imitation of our dearly departed mayor."

Moments later, the guards at the north gate get a call. "North Blockade. Greg speaking...Yes, Mr. Mayor! You sound a bit different today...A cold! I see...What's that?!...The hawks are gone?! We can open the gates?! That's wonderful!""

Greg the guard then hung up the phone. "Hey guys! The hawks are gone! The blockade is over! Whoo-Hoo! Our kids are safe! Tell the southern blockade the good news!"

And with that, the Mayor's false quarantine came to an end. Unfortunately, the closest city with some military force was Zootopia and the heavy storm kept any military aid away until the storm passed. Our heroes were on their own.

 **Meanwhile...**

"Well, we're the local welcoming committee. We heard we have new neighbors and thought we'd stop by."

Zeke was not amused. "You're on private property. You need to leave."

"Ha! That's a laugh." Said Nick. "Did you buy the place from it's owner's?"

Zeke looked up slightly and smiled. He was stalling. "Oh yes! They _fed_ me a great offer and I decided I'd _bite_. It was a _delicious_ steal!"

Nick was done talking. He aimed the rifle at the hawk. "This is Nick Wilde of the Z.P.D. You and your brother are under arrest for several counts of manslaughter! Come with us peacefully!"

"You have no jurisdiction out here!" Zeke replied. "And where's your badge?"

"It's right..." Nick checked his pockets and couldn't find his wallet. "Aww crap! It must have fallen out when you knocked me down and grabbed that boy. You know? The one you murdered?!"

"He was making too much noise and attracting unwanted attention, AKA you two! I gave him a mercy killing. Had Skinner gotten a hold of him, it would have been far worse. Speaking of, your friends are in the kitchen with him now and they won't last long. What are you gonna do?"

"We're gonna kick your ass and take them back!" Yelled Scratch.

Zeke gave a warning. "Nah-ah-ah! If I were you, I'd look up and behind."

As they turned their heads. A heavy figure slammed to the ground between the three with force, knocking everyone to the floor and Nick and Gideon's guns out of their hands

It was another red-tailed hawk. This one even larger than Zeke and Skinner. The hawk grabbed Gideon's shotgun and broke it in half with his talons.

"Spots!" Nick yelled. "I thought you said there were only two?!"

"That's what they said!" The hyena replied.

The small rifle had gotten knocked from Nick's paws and slid under the truck. Gideon couldn't reach it. "Dag-Blast it!"

"Cousin Calhoun! Your just in time! The welcoming committee came by. Why don't we entertain them?"

Nick was frozen in shock. Gideon decided to take charge. He threw Nick a pitchfork. "Nick! Go after Zeke and try to get inside! Me and Scratch will take on this feller!"

Nick bolted past Calhoun and made a beeline for Zeke. Calhoun turned his attention to Gideon and Scratch.

"You must have a death wish!" Said the seven foot hawk.

"Mr. Calhoun, don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when ah'm angry. Scratch! You aim high and ah'll aim low. Whatever you do, stay mad! You ready?!"

"Hell yeah!" She said.

The two charged at the hawk together.

 **Moments earlier...**

"GET OFF ME!" Skinner screamed.

A bunny can go savage. Judy had bitten hard enough into the back of his neck to draw blood. The hawk could not reach his wings around to grab her from the center of his back. She held firm and started ripping his feathers out. "YOU'LL NEVER TOUCH MY BABY AGAIN, YOU MONSTER!"

While Skinner was spinning around and struggling, Tom pulled the cleaver out of his arm. The blood started running fast but he didn't care. He sliced into the back of Skinner's leg, causing him to fall backwards. Judy wisely jumped off.

"I'LL SHOW YOU! Skinner grabbed Tom's cut arm by the talons and snapped it off by the deep cut. Tom screamed in pain and grabbed at his stump that was once his arm. Skinner took the opportunity to bolt out of the door limping. "YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!" Skinner screamed.

Judy hugged her son. "Baby! Are you okay?"

"Yes momma Judy!" Michael replied.

Judy smiled. "It's just 'momma' or 'mommy' from now on. You're mine and I'll always love you."

She then looked down and saw Tom's dismembered arm.."TOM!" She screamed. "Tom are you okay?!"

Tom had not passed out yet. He turned the burner on and set the cleaver down on it. "Get the children out of the cages! They don't wanna see this!"

 **Meanwhile...**

Nick attacked with the pitchfork. Zeke dodged the attack and threw him to the side.

"LEAVE NOW!" Screamed the hawk. "I'm not a savage man, but I'll protect what's mine! Don't throw your life away!"

Nick got back to his feet. "I'm not leaving without Judy and the kids!"

Suddenly, Skinner smashed through the wooden wall of the shack. He had tumbled from limping with a cut leg. "Aaah! Damn foxes!" He yelled.

Nick could see the dining room inside. There, several baby hawks were sitting at the table waiting for their supper.

"Daddy! What's going on?!" Asked one of the chicks.

"Chicks?!" Asked Nick.

"Eyas to be precise." Said Zeke. "They are my children."

Gideon managed to tackle Calhoun, but the large hawk had thrown him to the side. That left his back open for Scratch to jump on and bite down. The large hawk rolled and rolled, but she hung on biting down and tearing into his shoulder.

"Dangit! Get off me!" The large hawk yelled..

"Bite me, asshole! Scratch replied.

The hawk backed into the pickup truck smashing Scratch into it and knocked her off his back. He grabbed her leg and held her up to his beak.

"As you wish!" Said the hawk. Hen then bit the bottom half of Scratch's leg clean off and swallowed her foot whole. The young Hyena screamed in pain.

Gideon screamed. "SCRATCH! NOO!"

Nick couldn't see past Zeke. "Gideon! What happened to Scratch?!"

Zeke took the opportunity to knock Nick down and stab at him with his own pitchfork. He stabbed it into the ground and it just barely missed his neck between the forks. It kept the fox pinned to the ground by his neck.

"It's over." Said Zeke. "Leave or else!"

Scratch was losing blood fast and she almost passed out. Gideon was enraged. With his immense strength, he rushed Calhoun and tackled him to the ground. He proceeded to beat and punch him repeatedly in the face.

"I'LL SHOW YOU! YOU BASTARD!"

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Judy was freeing the last of the kits from the cages. "Run to the truck outside! Hurry!" She saw Tom pick up the red hot cleaver.

"What are you doing?!" She asked with concern.

He could barely talk. His loss of blood was weakening him and he had to do something. "I have to make a clean cut and cauterize the wound!" He grabbed a nearby chunk of rope to bite down on and proceeded to chop his arm an inch above where it was originally cut. He howled in pain as he then pressed the burning hot cleaver against the wound.

The kits and Cotton ran out the door and past the hawks much to the surprise of the Eyas.

Cotton stopped momentarily. "Daddy?!"

"GO! GO!" Nick yelled. "Quick! Get in the truck!" Cotton crawled away as fast as she could.

"Daddy! Why are there bunnies here?!" Asked one of the Eyas.

"Never mind that!" Zeke said.

Nick realized what was up. Zeke had been feeding the children, but they were completely ignorant about what they were eating.

"It's your dinner!" Nick yelled. "You've been eating bunnies in your stew!"

The children were shocked. They started crying. One of them threw up.

"Bunnies?! I don't wanna eat the cute bunnies! Why daddy?! Why?!"

He saw the horror in his children's eyes. For the first time, Zeke realized just what he had done and guilt filled his heart. "I...I had to! I had no other choice! We were starving! STARVING!"

Meanwhile, Judy and Tom were sneaking to the truck by going around the back of the shed. Judy held Michael in her arms while Tom cradled the limbless boy in his good arm.

Judy was mitten by him. "I cannot thank you enough Tom! You saved my little boy! I can never repay you for that. Although, I can try."

She gave him a gentle kiss on the lips. He didn't pull back. "Woah!...that's a heck of a reward! But I didn't do it for that. I did it because it was the right thing to do."

She batted her eyes at him. "Well, there may be more where that came from."

He smiled back. "I may take you up on that."

Meanwhile, Gideon was still going to to toe with Calhoun while Scratch took off her shirt and ripped it in half to use it as a tourniquet/bandage. She was trying to hurry as her chest was exposed and she didn't want anyone seeing her until she could find some more cloth. Twisting the shirt on the injured part of her leg was painful. She grunted past the pain, but finally got the tourniquet done just as a bunch of bunnies and one lamb crawling like a spider were at the truck.

"Awww crap!" She said. She leaned against the truck while motioning with one arm to get over to the truck while the other arm was covering her chest. "Get over here!" She yelled. "This way!"

The bunnies started piling into the back seats of the truck. Scratch told the rest to get in the bed of the truck.

"But it's raining!" One of them complained.

"Then get under the tarp! You can hide from the hawks.!"

"There's smashed blueberry pies back h-"

"THEN YOUR ASS IS GONNA BE COVERED IN BLUEBERRIES! GET IN!"

The little bunnies ran in the back as fast as they could. Cotton came and Scratch gently pulled her into the truck.

Cotton was concerned. "You lost your foot!"

Scratch patted her head and smiled. "It was worth it to save you, little sister. Now get in the back and stay down!"

Cotton was confused. "Little sister?!"

"I'll explain later. Just stay here!"

She turned around to see one bunny boy left staring at her with a stupid grin.

"..."

"..."

"...WHAT?!"

"I can see your boobies."

Scratch snarled at him. "GET IN THE BACK NOW!"

Nick was still pinned, but Zeke had stalled on hurting him further.

Nick stared down Zeke. Still defiant. "How does it feel knowing even your children think what you did was sick?!"

Zeke grabbed the pitchfork, but kept it still. The words stung him."I DID WHAT I HAD TO DO! YOU HAVE NO IDEA OF THE HELL I WENT THROUGH! THE SACRIFICES I MADE!"

Skinner managed to get up. He pressed his cut talon on Nick's injured shoulder. The fox howled in pain. He pulled the pitchfork out of the ground and was ready to stab Nick with it. "I've had enough of you foxes acting like dang heroes! Time to finish you off!"

"Uncle Skinner! Don't kill him!" Yelled one of the eyas."

Zeke grabbed the pitchfork and tried to pull it away from Skinner. "That's enough Skinner! Not in front of the eyas!"

Skinner shoved the pitchfork into Zeke so hard he knocked the hawk down. "You know what yer problem is brother?! Yer too dang soft. You act all merciful instead of just getting the damn job done! We could've just taken anyone we wanted but you had to make up all these damn rules! That's how you ended up with yer beaked cracked by a family of hares!"

Zeke got up into Skinner's face. "I put rules in place because I'm not a psycho like you! I'm not trying to make people suffer! I just want to feed my kids!"

"We could take whatever we want, but you ain't got the guts!" Skinner then smashed his beak into Zeke's head. This enraged Zeke who then decided to tackle Skinner to the ground. The two started to fight it out. Nick had four choices to make.

Fight Zeke, who was in better shape.

Fight Skinner, since he was weakened and was definitely the more evil of the two.

Fight both. Not a good option.

Let them fight it out and attack the winner.

Nick chose a fifth option. He looked over at the eyas. "Don't worry! I'm a police officer. Do any of you kids know where I can get some rope?"

Meanwhile, Gideon was still wrestling with Calhoun.

"Yer strong for a fat fox!" Yelled Calhoun.

Gideon found the hawks weak spot. He had the hawk from behind in a choke hold. The hawks couldn't reach their backs. "Thanks! Yer pretty dang strong yerself! Now go down already!"

"Suit yerself!" The large hawk jumped and landed hard on Gideon causing the fox to loosen his grip.

Calhoun got up and pinned Gideon with one talon while sticking the pointed tip of the other at his throat.

"You put up a good fight, but it's time to di-"

Calhoun almost had his beak knocked off by a jump kick from a half-naked, one-footed Hyena. Scratch managed to jump off the truck and kicked the hawk dead in the face. She managed to land on her three limbs. The pain in her leg was excruciating, but she pushed through it. Her adrenaline had kicked in.

"Whoo! I'm a one-legged girl in an ass-kicking contest!"

It only made the large hawk angry. "You must have a death wish! Are you insane?!"

"Yeah. Kinda." Scratch replied. She wasn't dumb. Knocking the hawk back got him off of Gideon who immediately jumped onto Calhoun's back again.

"Dangit! That's enough!" The hawk kept twisting and turning, but couldn't shake Gideon off.

Judy and Tom had caught up. Judy saw Gideon struggling and decided to help out.

"Scratch! Take Michael and lean on Tom. Then head to the van!" Judy then went to join the fight.

Scratch and Tom headed to the truck. She leaned on the foxes shoulder, careful not to hurt the remainder of his cut arm.

"So who the heck are you?"

"Sorry. My name is Thomas Redtail. Ummm...miss?"

"It's Scratch. Spots when I'm not in a fight."

"Miss Scratch. I believe you're in need of a shirt. I'll give you mine when we get to the truck."

Scratch was having a hard time not passing out. Fighting back after losing so much blood was affecting her. "I need to lay down soon. This fight's taken a lot out of me!"

"Yeah." Said Tom. "It cost us an arm and a leg."

"Har-Har." Scratch said sarcastically.

Calhoun was spinning around with Gideon on his back. They were dangerously close to a broken, old gate from when the shack had seen better days. Large metal spikes were sticking out of the ground.

"I got your back Gideon!" Judy shouted. She kicked Calhoun in the face. The hawk tumbled back and got impaled into the spikes. Killing him instantly.

There was just one problem. Gideon got impaled too.

"GIDEON!" Judy screamed.

"RRRNGGH! You got my back alright!"


	24. Chapter 24: Regretful Actions

Chapter 24: Regretful Actions

 **A/N Another warning: Still violent, but not as bad as the last two chapters. The climax is about to reach it's end, but there's still a lot more story to go!**

 **Sunday, 4:45pm**

Twilight had arrived and the sun was starting to set. The rain was still pouring heavily. The two hawk brothers were engaged in a struggle. They were scratching and pecking at one another talon to talon. Beak to beak. Skinner's cut talons and wrecked body would normally put him at a disadvantage, but he was ruthless and didn't care about what kind of damage he'd do to his own brother. He didn't just want to win the fight, he was ready to murder.

Nick went into the kitchen. He quickly realized what Skinner was doing in there. The place looked like something out of a horror movie. He was even more horrified when his foot accidentally touched the decapitated bunny head. The smell of dried blood and dead body parts sicked him.

"Dear Gods! What went on in here?!"

He finally found it. A nice length of rope. His training for the cub scouts (before that went all to hell) worked out for him. He was able to make a lasso.

Meanwhile, Judy was trying to help Gideon.

"GIDEON! Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" The hare tried to pull Gideon off the spike but to no avail.

"WAIT! WAIT!" Gideon gasped. "It got my side. Ah might be okay, but ah need Gauze. If ah pull muhself offa this, ah'll bleed out like a fountain! Got-Dang! It hurts!"

A shirtless Tom came back. "He's right! I'll go to the back and check for that. Judy, help Nick and stop those hawks!"

"Tom! Where's your shirt?" Judy asked. "Not that I'm complaining." She said with a smirk.

"I gave it to the hyena girl so she didn't have to go around topless. I will say, she did a good job on her tourniquet. Now go!"

Tom ran off. Judy was about to run off when Gideon stopped her. "Wait! Thar's a rifle that slid under the truck! Threaten them with that and they should stop!"

Meanwhile, Nick came back out to the dining room to find the little eyas in a panic. Skinner had gotten the upper hand and was choking the life out of Zeke. Some of Zeke's chicks tried to attack Skinner, but he easily knocked them off. "Help him please!" Said an eya. "Save our daddy!"

Skinner was using his cut talons to choke Zeke. He used his massive strength to bear down on his brother's throat. Nick had a choice to make. Let Skinner kill Zeke and then attack the weaker hawk or save Zeke so his chicks wouldn't go fatherless. The choice was obvious.

"First, I'll kill you! Then, I'll kill off these rescuers and yer little chicks! Then me and Calhoun can feed off this entire town! I'd say 'say yer prayers' but ya can't talk in this cond-"

Nick stopped Skinner mid-sentence. He lassoed the hawk and pulled him as hard as he could off of Zeke. "Enough is enough!" Nick threw the rope over a few more times and pulled it tighter. He then tied it in a knot. "You're done, Skinner!"

"Lay off me!" I'll kill you!"

Nick pulled out some pawcuffs he had carried with him just in case. "I hope these fit!" He got them onto Skinner. They fit on the hawks ankles, but barely. "Skinner the hawk, you're under arrest."

The eyas were happy. Some of them jumped up on Nick knocking him down. They rubbed up against his face lovingly, making him laugh. "Hee-hee! Okay! Yes! Your daddy's safe!"

A shadow went over Nick. Zeke the hawk had stood up. "Oooh boy!" He held onto of the eyas while looking for a weapon. He finally remembered he had Judy's dart gun on him.

" _Stupid Nick! You could have used that sooner!"_ He thought to himself. He aimed it at the hawk.

"O-okay now! Let's all be cool here. I _really_ don't want to hurt you. Foster father to father, I'd do anything for my kids too. I understand."

"YOU UNDERSTAND?!" The angry hawk yelled. "You have no idea of the hell I went through! I lost.."

"EVERYBODY FREEZE!" Yelled Judy. She said it in such a threatening manner that even Nick put his arms up. The little hare aimed her dad's rifle right at Zeke. "You so much as take one step and I'll blow your brains out!"

"Woah! Carrots! Woah!" Nick shouted. "We're...we're cool here. Okay! There's kids here! Let's calm down."

"CALM DOWN?!" She screamed she had a wild look in her eyes. If it wasn't for the rain, you could see tears running down her cheeks. "Nick, they ate children! CHILDREN! They killed and ate my grandparents! They killed my deaf baby brother, Jimmy!...That bastard on the ground almost killed my foster son! I saw him chop up kits and laugh!"

" deaf one!" Skinner chuckled. "He wuz mute, hunh? HA-HA! I remember that one!" He used a nearby wooden beam to pick himself up. He was still tied and cuffed, but could move ever so slightly forward.

"Dude...shut up!" Nick warned.

"The fox is right." Zeke replied. "Do NOT agitate this woman!"

Skinner just laughed. "Heh-heh! He had the funniest screams!"

Judy's violet eyes got a deep shade of red. Drool came of her gritting teeth. She started walking towards Skinner with the double-barreled rifle aimed square at him.

"JUDY! STEP BACK!" Shouted Nick.

Meanwhile, Tom had returned to Gideon. "I couldn't find gauze, but these bed sheets should work just fine."

"That'll do!" Gideon replied. "Now help me off!"

Tom couldn't get Gideon off the spike with just one arm, he needed help. "Scratch! Spots! Miss! I need your assistance!"

Scratch couldn't take her eyes off of Judy and Skinner.

"SCRATCH!" Gideon yelled. She finally looked over to see what was going on. She climbed over the bunnies staring at Judy and took a branch for a crutch.

Tom laid a bed sheet on the ground underneath Gideon. The fat fox grabbed the spike himself and gave a deep breath. "Okay. We gotta make this quick! Everyone ready?"

They both nodded. Gideon took another deep breath. "Okay then. One...two...THREE!"

They all pulled quickly together. Gideon gave a scream as he fell off the spike and onto the sheet.

"Stay still!" Tom warned. "We've got you!" Tom and Scratch worked together to tightly tie the bed sheets around Gideon's waist to stop the heavy bleeding. They then heard the shot and looked over in shock.

 **Moments earlier...**

"STAND ASIDE NICK! STEP AWAY FROM HIM!" The hare warned.

"Okay Judy." Nick slowly walked away from Zeke. "Now please. Calm down. Don't do anything rash! Remember, you're an officer of the law!"

"She ain't got the guts!" Skinner said. "Yer just another cowardly bunny like that deaf boy! He was so funny!" The dumb hawk actually inched closer to Judy. "I'd chop little parts off of him and he'd be like, 'Muughhunnnh! Nuuuhh!' HAHAHAA!...Hunh?"

He stopped inching closer. He saw the look in Judy's eyes. He realized it was the look of someone about to take the kill. With one eye closed, her other eye had aimed down the double barreled sight right at his skull. He could see her finger pulling back on the trigger. For once in his life, Skinner understood the fear he instilled in others.

His eyes showed the fear in his heart. He quietly gave his final words. "No...Please!"

 _BLAM!_

Skinner's body was knocked back to the ground. Pieces of his brain flew off and landed at the feet of the eyas. They had a look of horror in their eyes. As did the little bunnies that witnessed it all in the truck.

"JUDY!" Nick screamed.

"I had to!" Judy yelled. "He was coming right towards me! You saw it! You ALL saw it!"

She then aimed the rifle at Zeke. "I got one more shot left! Make a move! I DARE you!"

"Please!" Zeke begged. "I-I have my children here! I'm not my brother!"

"Uncle Skinner! No!" One of the eyas sobbed.

She aimed the rifle at Zeke. "PLEASE make a move! I'm begging you!" She started to sob. "P-please?"

Her finger was once again on the trigger. But then she felt a sharp pain at her side. She looked at her leg and pulled out a tranquilizer dart. She then looked over at Nick. The empty dart gun was still aimed at her. Her feelings of surprise and betrayal were followed by unconsciousness.

"You shot me! You basstaaarr..." She fell to the ground. The rifle fell out of her paws.

Zeke and Nick gave a look to each other. They both made a mad dash for the rifle, but Nick grabbed it in time. He rolled over Judy and then aimed it at Zeke.

The hawk scrambled back. Begging. "Please! No!"

"Woah! Woah!" warned Nick. "I'm not her. I don't want to kill you! Your children have suffered enough. We just want you to go!"

"GO WHERE?!" cried Zeke. "Featherton?! The lake has dried. Birds are migrating away. My children and I were starving!"

He started to sob. "I...I didn't want to do this. I don't want to kill innocent children, but I was left with little choice. I lost everything...I LOST MY WIFE!"

The rain hid his tears, but his bottom beak was trembling. "We were out of fish. The stores...the stores were empty, just like here. Any new supplies were made with a mad dash and scramble! People killed one another just for some vegetables and fish and there was little to NO government aid! The president only gives a damn about mammals! My wife... _SNIFF!._..she...she starved to death!"

Nick lowered both the rifle and his ears. "I'm...I'm sorry."

"I tried to get her to eat SOMETHING, but she refused! The eyas came first no matter what! I begged her...BEGGED her! But she always refused. What was worse, they hadn't started eating solids yet. She...she regurgitated the food into their mouths. It was like bulimia!"

"Mommy!" Cried one of the eyas.

"Can you imagine what it was like for her?! To have food...food you _desperately_ need in your stomach, in your mouth, only to regurgitate it up to feed your children?! I offered her my food and she refused! She said she wanted me to be strong and take care of the children! She knew! She knew she was killing herself and she didn't care! She sacrificed her life for my children! BAAAAAW HAAAAW! My Lilly! My sweet, sweet Lilly!"

The hawk was on his knees and starting to sob. "So.. _SNIFF!_...So when I came here, I knew that as a predator, meat was most likely my only option. We tried to rob the stores here, but their selection was pretty scarce too. So I made a decision. If my wife would make a sacrifice for her children, I'd see if these people would do the same for theirs. I was surprised at just how COWARDLY they were! And how easily they would give them up. It made snatching them up all the more easy, but I left Skinner in charge of food preparation. That...was a mistake. I didn't know just how horrible he tortured the children until last week. I'm...I'm sorry."

Tom came by. He was listening in. "Me and Scratch...Spots?..whoever. We got Gideon in the bed of the truck. He was impaled, but he's okay for now, but we need to leave for the hospital soon. " He saw the rifle and lifted on arm up jokingly. "Don't shoot! I'm unarmed."

Nick smiled. "Not a good time for comedy. Take Judy in and put her with Michael, then come back out here.

Zeke stood back up. "I know I can never be forgiven for what I've done, but I was left with little choice. I regret having to kill those bunnies, but I'll do what I have to to feed my family."

"Yeah. Well, I'm making a choice now." Nick lowered the rifle and gave it to Tom. "We all have choices in our past that we regret."

Nick looked over at his friends and family in the truck. "Leaving a permanent scratch on a loved one's face, scratching their face to the point they're unrecognizable..." Spots winced at that one. "...telling your father he was better off dead only for him to commit suicide or...or shooting and murdering a detained, unarmed criminal. Some of these things can never be forgiven but in the end, the only way to move on is to forgive ourselves."

Nick started walking towards Zeke. Tom was a little worried. "Hey Nick! Are you sure about this?"

"I said I made a choice." Nick replied and he kept walking towards Zeke.

"You probably didn't know this, but the mayor of this town. The one you befriended to keep the county under quarantine? HE was responsible for building the dam that cut off the water to the lake!"

Zeke walked up to Nick chest to chest. "Where is he now so I can kill him myself?!"

Nick backed off a little. "Dead. Skinner beat you to it. He ate him and the sheriff." Nick then pointed to Tom. "That man there is the new mayor."

"I am?!" Tom asked. "Also, are you trying to get me killed?!"

"You were the assistant mayor Tom, so by process of elimination, yes." He looked back at Zeke. "HE is the only one that can undo that dam and I PROMISE you that will happen very soon!"

"I'll get the process started first thing tomorrow!" Tom said hiding from the bed of the truck.

"I made a choice coming to you defenseless. Also, I did save your life twice now. So now you have a choice. Do you attack me and Tom? Ruining your chance to destroy the dam for Featherton, _**or**_ _..._ do we leave on good terms and you and your eyas fly off? I promise, I'll get Zeke and Calhoun prepped for you to take later and Tom will get that blasted dam taken care of."

"I forgot about Calhoun!" The hawk said. "He's dead too isn't he?"

Tom bowed his head. "I'm sorry."

"Damn." Skinner bowed his head in return. "I was going to have him replace Skinner. He had gotten too out of hand and I needed someone else. We weren't too close, but still...I brought him here. This was my fault."

Nick looked up at Zeke. "So what's your choice? Friend...or foe?"

Zeke smiled. "I'll leave...friend. The eyas are old enough to fly now. I just hope my babies can forgive me."

"WAIT!" Shouted Tom. He shuffled around the back of the truck.

"Uhhh Tom? What are you doing?" Asked Nick.

"Hey! Gimmie those!" Tom yelled. He was fighting with the bunnies. He pulled out three boxes of blueberry pies and walked them over.

"I figure...the little ones are gonna need their strength, so why not have some dessert? Sorry. The boxes are a little smashed. I hear some crazy fox dropped onto them."

The little eyas cheered. Zeke had a big smile on his face. "You foxes. Always full of surprises!"

The young hawks ate up the pies like mad. Zeke just stood overhead and watched.

"You're not gonna eat anything?" Tom asked.

"I ummm...ate earlier." Zeke had guiltily. "...Sorry"

Nick started to laugh. Tom and Zeke were wondering what was going on. "What's so funny? Tom asked.

"I just thought of those old comics I used to read as a pup. They had these one-page fruit pie commercials where the heroes would fight a villain and they'd make peace over a fruit pie! This...hee-hee!...This is like a violent, gory, nightmare version of those ads!"

Tom and Nick both laughed. Zeke just looked at them like they were idiots.

"I...DID lose two family members y'know?"

"Sorry." Nick said.

Spots yelled from the truck. "HEY! If you're done kissing and making up, we need to get the hell out of here and to the hospital already! Gideon's passed out!"

"Time to go kids!" Zeke said to his children. Their beaks covered in blueberry.

Zeke looked at Tom and Nick. "Thank you. I never got your full names."

"Nick Wilde"

"Thomas Redtail."

"Zeke Wingborne. I wish we had met under better circumstances. You two are better men than this town deserves."

"Thanks Zeke. We best be on our way. Try not to eat anyone on the way home. Okay?"

Zeke chuckled. "As you wish. Come children!" Zeke started to run and flew off. The eyas followed suit.

"GET THE HELL IN THE TRUCK ALREADY!" Spots shouted.

"That's our cue!" Said Nick. He and Tom ran to the truck.

"Oh my God! Spots! You lost a foot!" Nick shouted.

"Oh, now you noticed!" The Hyena growled. "Let's go! This tourniquet's dripping blood!"

Nick started the truck and took off. He was concerned for Spots. "Also, your shirt's bloody!"

"I know! It's Tom's. Isn't it cool?! These blood stains make it look totally badass! And...and besides...besides...I'm...I'm real sleepy now..."

"You are a weird kid, Spots...Spots?!"

"She passed out Nick." Tom said.

"Then we have to hurry! For her and Gideon's sake!"

Nick then looked at Tom. "In the meantime, you and I need to have a talk."


	25. Chapter 25: Healing Part 1

Chapter 25: Healing Part One

 **Sunday: 5:12pm**

The pickup truck was on it's way to the hospital, twisting and turning down the long roads leading from the top of the hill where the shack was. The war with the hawks was over. "Feeding Day" was now a thing of the past, but would never be forgotten in Bunnyburrow. It would live on as horror stories told to little bunnies around camp fires. Nick, Judy and company had emerged victorious, but not without serious injuries, both mental and physical. Nick Wilde and Tom Redtail were in the front seats. Outside of a few small bunnies from the dozen-plus they saved, they were the only ones awake. Judy was knocked out from the dart. Gideon and Spots had passed out from blood loss. Nick was surprised Tom hadn't passed out as well after losing a good chunk of his arm.

Nick considered himself very fortunate. He had all of his limbs and no blood loss. His major injures like his shoulder occurred _before_ arriving at the hawk's shack. While Judy had received no physical injures he knew that mentally, she would never be the same again. Going into the kitchen gave him only a glimpse of the horrors she saw with her own eyes.

Still, he couldn't forgive her for shooting and killing Skinner when he was defenseless. He understood why. The horrors she saw. What he had done. Was she just a common citizen, he would have been more than sympathetic and let it slide but she was an officer of the law. She had to be better than the scum they arrested, not sink to their level. Part of him felt betrayed by her actions. She inspired him to become better than he was. He wouldn't have become a cop if not for her and only recently had she inspired him to do better and be more professional. Could he forgive her? Should he? His thoughts were interrupted when Tom decided to talk after a fair amount of awkward silence.

"So ummm...I took the last shot out of the rifle and threw away the weapons. I didn't want the little ones to accidentally get a hold of them and hurt themselves."

"Good move." Nick replied.

"So...I'm the mayor now hunh? I don't know if I'm ready for such a responsibility!"

"Those who fear power are the most qualified to use it."

"Soc _ **rat**_ es?" Tom asked.

"..Wilde." Nick smiled.

"Yeah well...I'll keep my promise. I'll look into getting that dam destroyed first thing tomorrow. I have to take responsibility. After all, I didn't just come across the assistant mayor job by accident, I wanted it to keep an eye on him."

"Oh?" Nick asked.

"Yes. Some word did leak out. It was impossible for it not to, but it was hard for many to believe. I decided to move to Bunnyburrow to investigate it myself under the guise of wanting to get in on the fox initiative. They warned me at the gates that I wouldn't be allowed back out without special permission, but I decided to risk it. I found out the assistant mayor's job was open and lied on my resume' to get in. To my horror, he warned me to be 100% obedient because the last assistant who resisted him was eaten by his 'friends'. "

"Must've been a scary ordeal." Nick replied.

"Oh it was! But I played up the cowardly, selfish character for awhile to keep him on my good side. I took his verbal abuse with a grain of salt until I could find the right opportunity to back stab him. That came at the sheriff's office. Once I found people that were fighting back against the hawks, I knew I had to act quickly. I tricked him into locking himself in the cell with the others by using a roll of quarters behind his back like a fake gun."

Nick laughed. "That's totally something I would do! Great work! Y'know, you're an awful lot like me. I guess that's why Judy seems so fond of you."

"What do you mean?" Tom asked, then he instantly figured it out. "Are you her ex?!"

Nick nodded his head.

"Oooh boy! Look. I...I didn't know...I mean...I didn't mean to..it's just flirting! That's all!"

"It's okay." Nick said. "It's my fault things happened the way they did. I fell in love with this town and rushed into things. While we've known each other over a year, we were only a couple for 24 hours when I proposed we marry and live here. Pretty dumb hunh? I also rushed into adopting Cotton and now Spots back there, but...I don't regret it. They're great kids."

Nick continued. "Also..her mother accidentally blurted out that one her sisters was adopted. She was trying to figure out who, but it was obvious that it was her. Not just because of the black tips of her ears, but she was more ambitious and outgoing than all of her other siblings. I blurted out the truth during our fight. That had to have hurt her."

"Then...after a really awkward breakfast this morning, the hawk attack happened. And we found out the truth. When she saved me, we reconciled somewhat but now...after what she did, I...I don't know if I could ever feel for her the same way again. Part of me will always love her, but...I don't know if I could respect her as a cop anymore."

Tom gave it some thought. "Look, I don't wanna be known as the guy that broke you and her apart. I think she just likes me because I'm a lot like you."

Nick patted tom on the shoulder. "Look! It's okay Tom! Really! You're a great man and you sacrificed your arm to have her son's life. Her little brother's life. It's complicated. You're not like her sister Jenny. I almost mated her sister just out of spite. Felt horrible for it afterwards. But you, you're a great guy and...I want her to be happy."

"I would have given up my arm to save any one of those children. I do like her, but I want her to like me as Tom Redtail, not Nick Wilde 2.0. I'll make a you deal. You look me in the eyes and tell me it's completely over between you two, then I'll court her, but if you think there' any sort of possibility for you two, I'll back off."

Nick couldn't look Tom in the eye's. "I'm driving down a windy hill! Not exactly a good time to look at someone. Look, I want her to be happy. She could be sheriff here! Sheriff Hopps and Mayor Redtail!"

Tom chuckled. "Yeah. I guess I could make that happen."

Nick still couldn't look at Tom, but Tom could see the tear swelling in Nick's eye. "Tom, I want you to keep courting her. It's obvious she's no longer happy with me, so if she were to go with anyone, I...I'd want it to be you. You're a good fox, Tom."

"Okay then." Tom replied. "You're a damn good fox yourself Nick."

" _You're also not fooling me."_ He thought to himself.

The rest of the trip was met with awkward silence with the exception of some restless little bunnies who decided to sing. Nick and Tom joined along. It made the ride more bearable.

 **Sunday, 5:56pm**

Nick parked the truck right in front of the hospital. EMT's rushed out and got Gideon, Spots and Judy on a stretcher. Another doctor went and got Tom a wheelchair and got him in. Two more grabbed the boy with no limbs and the other boy who's ears were sliced off. Nick shouted to the children.

"If anyone needs medical attention, PLEASE let me know now. Otherwise, stick with me. We'll get you back to your parents first thing tomorrow."

Stu rushed out. "Why didn't you call me on Gideon's phone?!"

"He passed out from blood loss and I didn't know his password.."

Stu look worried. "Oh no! Is he gonna be okay?!"

"I don't know."

Stu wept on Nick's chest. "I-I I'm so sorry! I owe him so much! He was such a good son-in-law and I treated him like dirt! Well... _SNIFF!_...from now on, it's no longer 'Hopp's Farms', it's 'Stu and Sons' and his face will be plastered on the boxes right next to mine!"

"All he wants to do is go back to being a simple baker. Have you ever thought of opening a chain of bakeries he could oversee and work at?"

"Y'know..Stu thought. That's not a bad idea!" Then he remembered why he came outside. "OH! I ended the quarantine, are the hawks gone?!"

"Two dead. One fled." Nick replied.

Stu raised his arms in triumph. "Whoo-Hoo!" He yelled back to the folks at the hospital. "You hear that folks?! The hawks are gone! The nightmare is over! I gotta go get Bonnie and the family!"

"Make sure you bring Petey too!" Nick said. "Spots loves that kid and I wanna make sure she wakes up with him on her lap." He then picked up Michael. "And you'll see your mommy as soon as she wakes up."

Cotton tugged on Nick's shirt. "Can I see Spots too?"

"Of course sweetie! You're not scared of her anymore?"

"No!" She replied. "She fought to protect me and the other bunnies with only one foot! She's so brave! I'm glad she's gonna be my big sister!"

Nick had a large smile on his face. Just then, another medical staff member came and tapped Nick on the shoulder.

"Sir. You have some injuries too. You need to be seen to."

Nick sighed. "Okay. Can the lamb and blind bunny come with me? She's my foster daughter."

"Sure." The nurse said as she put him in the chair.

"Stu, can you watch these bunnies for me? I'll watch Michael until Judy wakes up."

"Is Judy okay?!" Stu said with worry.

"She's in better shape than the rest of us. At least, physically. She...she went kinda savage and I had to tranq her with the dart gun. She's asleep but otherwise, fine."

Stu looked relieved.. "I forgot that I have the limo. I gotta go pick them up." He knelt down at the little bunnies. "Who wants to come home with me in a stretch limo and have a big supper?!"

The little bunnies all cheered.

"I'm making another big decision. Any kits who's parents are not found or refuse to take back will live with me and my family!"

Nick smiled. "Good for you Stu!" He put Cotton and Michael on his lap and looked up at the nurse." Okay. Let's roll!" She then pushed him into the hospital as Stu took off in the limo with a dozen bunnies in tow.

 **Sunday 7:30pm**

Gideon was stirring awake in his room. An IV bag was attached to his arm and an oxygen mask was placed over his muzzle. He could hear the beeping of the EKG. He also felt something soft and warm pressing against his right paw. His eyes were still blurry and he was trying to focus.

"Julie"? He asked.

"Not quite." Judy replied. She was finally awake and Gideon was the first person she went to.

"Julie and the others will be here soon. Nick told me. I...wanted to see you before she got here."

Tears were swelling in her eyes. "I'm so sorry Gideon! I messed up so bad!"

"It was an accident darlin'." Gideon said with a weak voice. "Yuh didn't mean fer it to happen."

"I should've been more careful! I kicked you and the hawk right into that spike!"

"And now the hawk is dead and ah'm alive. That's all that matters. Doctor said ah was real lucky. Didn't hit any vital organs. Had to get a tetanus shot fer that rusty spike though. Luckily, I was under when they gave it to me."

Gideon chuckled. "Heh! Guess you can consider us even now fer them scars ah gave you as a child! Now I'll have this big-ol scar on mah side fer the rest of muh life!"

"Not quite even." Judy said. She got up above Gideon and removed his oxygen mask.

Gideon was confused. "Jude..what the heck are you.."

"Shhhh!" She said. "I need you to understand. I'm not afraid of you. Not any more"

She pressed her lips against his muzzle. He pressed back. The moment lasted for only five seconds, but it seemed like an eternity to Gideon. His eyes rolled back and he enjoyed the moment. Finally, she let go.

" _Now_ we're even! Make my sister happy and give her a huge family." She hopped down off of him.

He was still reeling from the kiss. "Oooh man! Ah can scratch THAT off muh bucket list!" He chuckled. "But give a fella a warnin' next time! Ah'm engaged y'know?"

"I wanted to end that little chapter between us. Just chalk it up to a delusion brought on by the morphine." Judy replied.

"Judy, ah gotta tell you somethin'"

"Yes, Gideon?"

"Yer a good kisser, but you ain't got nuthin' on Julie!"

They both laughed.

 **Sunday, 8:10 pm**

Spots started to wake up. Just like Gideon an IV bag was attached to her. She was really woozy as the morphine was kicking in pretty hard. She felt something on her lap. She looked down to see Petey and Cotton sleeping. Seeing Petey there made her incredibly happy. Also, like Gideon, she felt a paw pressed against hers. She looked over. It was Nick. While fairly bandaged up, the doctors had treated his wounds and was allowed to roam freely and long as he didn't overdo it.

"Hey sweetie. You feelin' okay?"

"I feEL AWEsome!" The hyena was a bit high from the morphine. "Look DaddY! PeEEtey's here! Cotton TOO! She's on my laPP!"

"I know." Nick chuckled. He then looked somber. "I'm so sorry Spots. You lost your foot because of me!"

"HeEEeey! No!...NnnnnnoO! I knewW the risks goiNG IN! So did YOU! Thish...ish..a smALL price to payee! Hey. I can shtill feel my fOOt!... _GASP!_ Did it grOw bacK?!"

"That's called phantom pain. You're brain hasn't figured out that your foot's gone yet." Nick peeled off the blanket where her foot was. She had a metal spike with a curved, shoehorn-like metal attachment where her foot was.

"It's normally for replacing a bunny leg, but since you only lost a foot and just above your ankle, it was enough to make a replacement foot."

"COOL! I'm a cyborg!" She giggled. She looked at Nick with curiosity. "Can it shoot LAYzorz?!"

Nick laughed. "No, honey. No it can't and don't put any weight on it for a little bit unless you REALLY wanna feel pain."

Cotton had woken up from her nap. "Spots! You're awake!" Her exuberance and loudness also woke up Petey. Cotton got up as best she could and gave Spots a big hug.

It woke Spots up a bit more. This child who had feared her for so long had finally embraced her and accepted the hyena as her foster sister.

Tears filled Spots' eyes. She was trembling. She closed her eyes, took her long arms and wrapped them tightly around Cotton."Y-y-you're not afraid of me?"

"No! You're awesome!" Cotton shouted. This just made Spots hug her tighter. They let go just in time for Petey to give her a big hug.

Spots had to apologize. "I'm sorry Petey. Gideon got the angry side out of me so I'd be ready to fight, so..I did cuss a little. I know I promised and...and _SNIFF!_ I'm trying real hard not to but...when I get so angry it just comes out!"

"It'th okay!" Petey said. "It doethn't _HHHNNGGH!_ have to be all the time!"

"Yes it does!" She sobbed. "If I make a promise, I should keep it no matter what! Also...this way, whenever I almost swear and hold myself back, I'll think of you and...you'll do the same...okay?"

"Okay!" Petey said and gave her a huge hug.

Cotton jumped up and down, all excited. "You should have seen her Pete! The hawk bit off her foot and she continued fighting him! The hawk had Gideon pinned down and...and with only ONE foot, she leaped into the air off the truck and kicked him in the face!"

Spots and Nick smiled watching Cotton getting so excited. "And then, she landed on her three limbs like a tripod and said 'I'm a one-legged girl in a butt-kicking contest!' She's so cool!" This made Spots giggle with delight.

"Wow!" Nick said. "I was busy with Zeke so I kinda missed all of that. Still, that's crazy! Especially after losing your foot doing almost the same move!"

Spots bowed her head. "Yeah, I know, but me and Gideon were a tea-heeyy! Wait a minute!" She was looking down at her shirt. It was pink and full of glitter with a unicorn on the front. "What's this crap?! Where's the cool, bloody shirt Tom gave me?!"

"Calm down." Nick said. "We had to throw it away because it had his blood on it. It was a health hazard. In the meantime, we got you this replacement."

"But I liked it cuz it was covered in blood! It made it bada...cool! This one is so...girly girl! That's not me! What the heck is 'My Pretty Unicorn'?! You owe me a blood-stained shirt!"

Nick rolled his eyes. "Sorry I kept you from going topless again! I'll take you to Hop Topic tomorrow. In the meantime, sit tight and I'll look in the gift shop for something."

"I take a feline medium. Just get me...anything but this!" She gestured to her current top.

"Alright freckle neck. In the meantime, watch these two until I get back."

Nick left the room. On the way to the gift shop, he walked past Judy who was holding Michael. The meeting was awkward to say the least.

They couldn't even stare into each others eyes. Nick talked first.

"Hey."

"Hey."

"How...how's Michael holding up?"

"Fine...fine. Thank you for watching him while I was out. He was a little traumatized by the incident, but since he can't see, I don't think he could comprehend how bad it was."

"I was scared." Michael said. "Mommy and Mr. Redtail saved me! He lost his arm though."

"Yeah, I know." Nick replied. "He's a very good man."

"Speaking of, he's just waking up from surgery so...we're gonna see him right now."

"Surgery?" Nick asked.

"Ummm..yeah. They're attached a claw to his arm so he can still grab things."

"Cool...cool."

"Look Nick, I wanted to...to thank you actually, for darting me. I almost went too far."

" 'Almost?!' "

"Now don't get me wrong. I don't regret Skinner's death. Not one bit!"

"You mean when you blew his brains out in front of the bunnies and his own nieces and nephews _**and my own daughter**_ **,** even though he was cuffed and tied?!"

"He was a sadistic maniac and he was still coming towards me! I had every right to defend myself!" Judy calmed down a moment. "Tom told me what happened before he went into surgery. I just...I may have taken things a bit too far when I aimed the rifle at Zeke. I almost pulled the trigger again. I would've regretted that. He had his children there and I almost took their father from them, so...thank you for stopping me."

Nick gritted his teeth. "I shouldn't HAVE to stop you! You're an officer of the law! Somewhere along the way, you forgot that! That hawk was tied, cuffed and no longer a threat to anyone! There was no reason! _**No...reason**_ to use deadly force! That's always a last resort!"

Judy burst into tears. "I WAS SCARED! You didn't see the horrors I saw in that kitchen! The awful things he did! He almost killed my little boy! When he started inching toward me I...I panicked okay?! At the end of the day, I'm still just a mammal like everyone else!"

Nick looked at her sternly. "You're not just a mammal, you're a cop! We've been trained for this. If you can't handle an intense situation, then you have no right to call yourself an officer!"

Judy was getting upset. She bared her teeth. "Like YOU can talk! I was the muscle behind our little partnership. You led them to me and I attacked and subdued them! So what did you do out there? You let Zeke and his kids go! Made friends with the serial killer! Fed them pie!"

"The pie was Tom's idea."

Judy just rolled her eyes. "You know what your problem is? You're too soft. You try to play the nice guy and take it easy and real life isn't like that! Me? I get the job done no matter what!"

Nick looked down at her in disgust. "I heard someone else use almost the same words earlier today. His name was Skinner."

Judy turned to walk away. "I'm going to see Tom. At least he understands me! And you know something else?...You were right. You're not good enough for me."

Nick was livid, but he remained calm. "No. I was right when we first met...you're not a real cop." He then walked away.

That last part hit her hard. Judy's anger was swelling within. She almost cussed in front of Michael, but caught herself. "FFFFFF!"

"Ow! Mommy! You're squeezing me too hard!" Michael yelled.

She eased up her grip. "Oh geez! I'm sorry baby! Mommies just upset."

As she passed by Spots room, she heard the hyena yell for her.

"HEY! Hey you! Hey! Killer bunny!"

Judy sighed. She was already in a bad mood and didn't feel like dealing with this wild child. "What do you want?"

"Got a minute?"


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26: Healing Part 2

 **A/N: Okay, I think we got about 3-4 chapters left. As you can tell, I'm slowly starting to resolve some of the side stories, but a few things will be left unresolved, especially between Judy and Nick.**

 **Sunday 8:30pm**

"Hey! Killer Bunny!"

That's the last thing Judy wanted to be named. On top of that, she barely knew this hyena girl Nick rescued and really didn't feel like chatting with her. "What do you want?"

"Got a minute?"

Judy sighed. "I guess. Is there something you need...Scratch is it?" She entered the room. Cotton was a little scared and got under the sheets Spots was sitting under. Her eyes just peeking above.

"It's Spots now. Dad renamed me and I kinda like it."

" 'Dad?' "

"Nick.. He's gonna adopt me tomorrow."

"Of COURSE he is." Judy said with her eyes rolling. "He'll probably adopt the entire orphanage before he leaves for Zootopia."

"I know, right?! Next thing you know, he'll be blowing people's brains out in front of some kids!" Spots said with some sarcasm.

"Did you call me over just to fight?" Asked Judy.

"No, no! In all honesty? I like you! You're a tough chick! It sucks that Gideon got hurt, but the way you kicked Calhoun down? That was awesome!"

Judy smiled a little. "Thank you."

Spots pulled Cotton out from under the sheets. "Will you get outta there?! She's not gonna hurt you kid! Go see Mike or you'll be wearing my bedpan for a hat!"

Cotton wisely got out from under the sheets. Judy brought Michael over to Cotton. They were now sitting down on two chairs. Cotton was teaching Michael patty-cake by having him just hold out his paws while she did the clapping and slapping.

Spots went back to talking to Judy. "So...Dad told me of the breakup. He said he blurted to you about being adopted and you freaked. He's real sorry about that."

"It really hurt!" Judy said. "It felt like I lost part of myself! I lost my identity!"

"Oh bull...crap!" Spots quickly remembered her promise to Petey. "Being adopted is awesome! It means someone wants to share their life with you! To take care of you! Do you have any idea how awesome that feeling is?!"

"It's different for you!" Judy said. "You lost your parents and Nick decided to become your father. I thought Bonnie and Stu were my real mom and dad my entire life only to find out I'm related to their hare friends!"

"So what?" Spots replied. "They did the right thing. Instead of feeling like one of the family, would you rather have realized your not the same as the rest of them?! You would have felt even more ostracized than you do now. Instead, you showed them just what a rabbit can do and all your siblings look up to you! I bet you're the gold standard in that family, ain't ya?! They loved you enough not to make you feel like you're not part of the family."

Judy sat up on the bed and smiled. "That's...That's true!"

"And now you've probably got answers to questions you've had your entire life! 'Why am I so different?' 'How come I always wanted to be more than a farmer?' Not only that, you got a second family to visit now!"

Judy giggled. "...Yeah!"

"Two families! You got your foster family to come home to and now...you can visit your blood family as well! You know what this means?!..."

Judy looked puzzled. Spots put a paw up with two fingers.

"Two Christmases dude! How awesome is that?!"

Judy laughed. She crawled up the bed and gave Spots a hug. Tears were starting to swell in her eyes.

"Thank you so much scra-I mean, Spots! I wasn't seeing it from that perspective at all! You're right! You're..."

She put her head down in Spots chest and started to sob. "I was horrible today! Wh-what's wrong with me?! I slapped my mother! I kicked Nick awake! I almost killed Gideon! I...shot and killed a detained criminaaal!"

The realization of her actions had finally hit her. She sobbed heavily into Spot's shirt.

"Hey! Hey! Quit wiping yourself on my ugly shirt! You'll get glitter all over your face and look like a stripper!"

"Nick was right about me! What kind of cop am I? I'm supposed to be in control at all times, not snap and kill someone!"

"Mistakes happen!" Spots yelled. "What happened to Gideon was a total accident. It's hard to always be in control! Trust me I know. You..you shot a psycho bastard that deserved it. You see my fingertips? No claws! You wanna know why?! Two years ago, I scratched a girl's face off! I completely snapped! Cotton saw that and yet, she forgave me! She finally forgave me! Rose never will and...I don't blame her. I'd never forgive me either, but I have to move on and so do you! Don't let that moment define you. You gotta just accept that you fu-...messed up and move on."

Judy sat back up at the edge of the bed. Depressed. She wiped the tears from her eyes "Thank you, but 'you did something horrible and you need to accept it and move on' is not exactly the best lesson for me right now. You're a kid. I'm a trained police officer! I have to be better than that."

She got up and picked up Michael. "Thank you for the pep talk. I feel a lot better about being adopted, but as far as killing Skinner in front of those kids...I...I don't know. Maybe someday, I can forgive myself, but not now."

"Look Judy...I have an odd talent for sniffing out the bad in people. Like when your dad was being a coward and hiding secrets. It makes me a good judge of character. It's weird to say, but you smell like a good person. I think you just have anger issues. Just like me! Get some therapy. Stay a cop. Don't quit on yourself!"

Judy turned around and gave her a smile. "I don't know when to quit."

"Killing people?"

"Wha-No! I mean not giving up on my...oh, you know what I mean!"

Spots laughed. "Ha-HAA! Gotcha!"

Judy chuckled. "You're horrible!" She smiled and left.

 **Meanwhile...**

Nick was looking through the small selection of shirts at the gift shop. They were pretty much either a fluffy "get well" variety or a Bunnyburrow souvenir style of shirt.

A bunny working the counter noticed him browsing through the selection. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Yeah, this is gonna be an odd question, but do you have any novelty shirts with blood on them?"

"..."

"Please don't trip the silent alarm, it's a joke. My little girl's upset with me cuz I had to replace her blood-stained shirt that she thought was cool, with a shirt with glitter and unicorns and she's...not exactly a 'unicorns and glitter' kind of girl."

"All we have are these shirts here I'm afraid." The retail lady said motioning to the souvenir shirts.

"How about one that says 'I just saved an entire town from bunny eating hawks and all I got was this lousy T-shirt'?"

Rabbecca Longears, the rabbit reporter overheard this part of the conversation and decided to budge in.

"Are you officer Nick Wilde of the Z.P.D.?!"

"Guilty as charged but rarely convicted. "

"Rabbecca Longears of B.M.Z.! You're one of the Three Fox-keteers!"

Nick looked puzzled. "Three Fox-keteers?!"

"Oh yes! Word is getting out about the three foxes that risked their lives to save Bunnyburrow! You guys are quickly becoming legend around here!"

Nick didn't want this much attention put on himself and the others. "It's not that big a deal. We just did the right thing. Also, there was five of us. My soon-to-be hyena daughter Spots and my...former ZPD Partner, Judy Hopps. We put a stop to the hawks terror because no one else would stand up to them."

"And I ended the quarantine!" Said Stu from behind. "With the help of the deputy and our reporter friend here!" Stu Hopps is the name!"

The reporter rolled her eyes. "I know Stu. I interviewed you for several hours. Remember?"

"Ah! But what you didn't know is.."

Nick grabbed Stu and apologized to the reporter. "Excuse us for a second, will you?!"

Nick managed to find a private corner to talk to Stu. "Okay Stu, this is important. How much do they know?"

"They know I sponsored the dam and that I didn't know about where the dam subverted the water until later and that me and the deputy only followed the mayor's orders under duress."

Nick glared at Stu. "What about the fact that Zeke got the idea for snatching the bunnies because you so easily offered up your grandfather OR that you kept all this information from me and Judy when we could have helped those kids much earlier?!"

Stu gulped. "N-not exactly!"

Nick bent down and got up to Stu's face. "Don't think I've forgotten! You did a lot of stupid cowardly things that only prolonged this reign of terror! The only reason I don't rat you out right now is that Judy's your daughter and you helped end the quarantine! You messed up big time buddy! You wanna sweep this under the rug? I need your help."

Stu looked nervous. "What do you want me to do?!"

"This overpopulation problem is only gonna get worse and worse unless we do something about it right now! And you...YOU are a big influence on the town. So I need a big, big favor from you."

"H-H-How big?!" Stu said nervously.

Nick whispered into his ear.

"Oh no! NO!"

"Oh yes! YES!" Nick nodded with an evil grin. He grabbed Stu by his shirt and glared into his eyes. "If you don't, I'll show you just how scary a fox can be!"

Stu gulped and nodded. "O-Okay!"

Nick returned with Stu to the reporter. "So! How about that interview?!"

The reporter was delighted. "Great! I managed to get a news van to weather the storm all the way from Zootopia! We got everything to broadcast straight from the van including a mini broadcast tower! Even people here in Bunnyburrow can see it!"

"Wonderful!" Nick replied. "And if you're up to broadcasting it, Stu's got a special event he'd like to do live on TV! He's gonna set a big example for others!"

Rabbecca rolled her eyes. "And what pray tell is that?!"

"He's gonna have a vasectomy done! Live on T.V.! Aint that right, buddy?! Snip-Snip!" Nick patted Stu on the back. Stu smiled but could barely keep from sobbing.

"R-Right! Snip...snip. Heh-heh...unnnhh."

 **Meanwhile...**

On her way to see Tom, Judy ran into Bonnie who was on her way to see Gideon. She held Michael by her side as she went to hug her mother.

"Mom! I'm so happy to see you! I wanted to talk to you."

"I'm so glad dear!" Bonnie said with a smile. "How are you?"

Judy's ears drooped. "I'm...okay. I could be better I suppose you heard what I did."

Bonnie put her paws on Judy's shoulders. "You need to stop beating yourself up for that! He was a horrible monster that almost killed my...your son!"

"That's something else I wanted to talk to you about. I,,,I had that moment you mentioned. Mikey is MY son! I'm never giving him up! He's...he's part of me now. I love him."

Bonnie gave her daughter a huge hug. Tears welling in her eyes "Oh Judy! _SNIFF!_ That's what I wanted to hear! Things will be different for you now. It's gonna be really rough at times, but SO rewarding too! You'll see!"

"There's something else too! I've accepted who I am. I'm so sorry I hurt you this morning! I'm a Hopps and I'll always be one! But I'm a Hareson as well and it's time my aunt and uncle know that I know it too. I know it didn't go well with them yesterday, but now it's different. We're connected! Through me, the Haresons and the Hopps are related and they can't deny that any longer! PLEASE go with me to see them tomorrow?"

"Okay." Bonnie said. She shrugged her shoulders. "It couldn't get any worse!...I hope."

Judy gave her mother one final hug. "I never got to tell you this before...thank you for adopting me!"

"You're welcome dear. I'm glad to finally hear that! Now go see Tom! Oh!...and get that glitter off of your face! You look like a stripper!"

Just then an announcement went over the P.A.

 _Attention High Plains hospital patients and guests! We have a special treat for you tonight! Channel 6 is back on the air and broadcasting LIVE from our very own hospital! Up next is an interview with one of the three Fox-keteers, Nick Wilde!_

"Geez! What a glory fox!" Judy huffed.

 _After that, Stu Hopps of Hopps Farms will receive a vasectomy live on the air!_

Judy's jaw dropped. She looked at her mother. Bonnie's teeth were clenched so hard they were almost cracking under the pressure.

"What? What?! WHAAAT?!"

"Wow!" Judy said. "I've never seen steam come out of ears before! I thought that was only in cartoons!"

Bonnie bolted down the hallways and knocked over some people passing by like they were bowling pins.

"OUTTA MY WAY! NOBODY BREAKS HIS BALLS BUT ME!"

"Yikes!" Said Judy. She finally made her way to Tom's room.

She knocked on the door and then talked to Michael. "Okay sweetie! I need you to be very nice to Tom! He could be your daddy one day! Okay?"

"Okay mommy!"

While she wasn't paying close attention, during her chat with Michael, with her advanced hearing she could almost have sworn she heard someone say "Hide! Hide!"

Judy entered the door. There sat tom in a hospital garment wearing his new claw.

"Hey handsome!" Judy said.

"Arrrg! I'm a pirate!" Tom joked. "Ummm.. do you know you got glitter on your face? You look like a stripper."

"Sorry." Judy replied. "How are you feeling?"

"The morphine's making me a little woozy, but otherwise, not bad! The doctor tells me it will be more painful later, but just for a little bit."

"Well, I can't thank you enough for what you did for my son! That was a huge sacrifice!"

Tom chuckled. "I know! I know! You've told me a hundred times today! And just like I told you before. I would have done it for any of those kids. I just had to fool Skinner into thinking I had cowered away so he'd have his guard down."

Judy sat Michael down on a chair and climbed up on Tom's bed. She sat on his lap and rubbed his shoulders gently. "Well I think my handsome hero deserves a reward. "

She leaned in and kissed him on the muzzle a few times. To her surprise, Tom pulled away. "I'm sorry Judy. I...I can't! You just broke up with Nick and I don't wanna be known as the fox in between. When I'm with you, all I'm thinking about is 'am I Nick Wilde 2.0?' "

Judy was upset "You're not keeping us apart! HE is! He told me I wasn't a real cop! He'll barely even talk to me! You're braver and smarter than he ever was!"

"I'm sorry Judy, but it's not just that. We've only known each other less than a day! I'm not ready to commit to a relationship yet."

Judy had tears in her eyes. "But...but."

Tom pressed his paw against her cheek and stared into here eyes. "I want you to look me right in the eyes and tell me you're completely over Nick."

"I'm completely.." She looked away. "...over Nick."

Tom chuckled. "That's what I thought. Let me give you a little poem. _Bunny, don't waste your time. I know what's on your mind. You wouldn't be satisfied with a one night stand and I could never take the place of your man._ "

Judy looked disgusted. "That's Prance. That's from 'Sign O' The Limes' by Prance!"

Tom shrugged. "Sorry! That's all I could think up. Look, the Sheriff position is still open if you want it. I'm having deputy Strife promoted to the position for now, even though he belongs in jail. In the meantime, I'll be watching his ass like a hawk! He won't make a move without my say so!"

" _I wish you'd watch MY ass."_ Thought Judy. She was feeling rejected and decided to leave.

"Thanks for the offer, but I think I'm gonna stay in Zootopia. Maybe you're right. It just wasn't meant to be. Thank you again for saving Michael and for everything else you did today. You're a great fox Tom. Michael? Let's find a cab and go home."

She left the room. Tom watched her leave for a few seconds. He felt kind of sad about the whole affair.

"Goodbye Judy..."

"..."

"...Coast is clear Jenny baby! You can come out now!"

Jenny ran out of the bathroom and jumped onto Tom's lap, kissing him passionately. "That was a close call, sugar!"

"Close the door and turn off the lights baby. Let's have some privacy."

She did just that and then started making out with the slick fox. "Mmmmmm! I hated to do that to her, but it wouldn't have worked out. Besides, I could swear I smelled Gideon on her! Jenny baby, I think your sister may be some kind of...fox tramp!"

"That's the difference between me and her you naughty boy ...I KNOW I am!"

They both giggled. Unbeknownst to Judy or Nick, the new mayor had found his "running mate" so to speak.


	27. Chapter 27: The Last Bunny to Get Cut

Chapter 27: The Last Bunny to Get Cut

 **A/N: Education time! I had to do research on vasectomies. Some dirty jokes and a slightly lemon scene near the end of the chapter.**

 **Sunday, 9:10pm**

Spots was sitting in her hospital bed with Cotton and Petey on her lap. They were watching their foster dad being interviewed on Channel 6. As they were watching, Spots heard a familiar voice.

"Hey'a Scratch!" It was Gideon. He was being pushed in a wheelchair by Julie. He still had the IV unit attached but now the oxygen mask was replace with a small tank attached to the back and two tubes up his nose.

What was surprising is that he was cradling the limbless bunny child from the hawk shack in one of his arms. All four corners of the boy's body were bandaged.

"Hey uncle Giddyup!" Spots replied. "It's back to just Spots now. Thanks for that pep talk earlier though. It got me where I needed to be for that fight."

Julie came over and gave her a hug. "We should be thanking you! He wouldn't be alive right now if you hadn't risked your life with that three-limb kick!"

"No problem. I was just backup! Me and Gideon were a great team."

"Dang right!" Gideon responded, "The reporter wanted ta see me and get some pictures. She'll probably interview you too."

Spots tilted her head back in disgust. "Aww man! I don't wanna be interviewed. I just wanna see that jerk Stu get his nads cut and then go to sleep!"

Gideon chuckled. "Ah can't wait fer that! Ah bet Nick tricked him into it or he'd reveal all of his dirt on 'em!"

"So what's with the kid?" Spots asked.

Gideon looked down at the bunny boy. "This here's mah new son, Ben Grey! We call him 'Bean'!"

" 'Bean'? Because he's shaped kinda like a bean now?! Dude! That's kinda mean y'know?!"

"Well..." Gideon explained. "Ah figger, people like jelly beans and the way he's shaped kinda reminds me 'o one. Plus to be honest, 'Ben Grey' sounds kinda like a certain ointment ya put on yer butt!"

"So you guys adopted him? What happened to his mom and dad?"

"He ain't got none. He came from one of the other orphanages. Since they put him up fer sacrifice, that instantly makes him mine! Poor feller was in Skinner's kitchen fer a week!"

The boy trembled a bit. He decided to talk himself. "H-he would cut off my arms and legs a-a-and then cook them in the stew and...and feed them back to meee!" He started to cry. Gideon held him tighter and wept a bit himself.

Then Spots grabbed Cotton and Petey and hugged them tightly to her. She teared up. "I'm glad that sick bastard's dead!"

Gideon kissed the boy's head. "Don't yew fret son. It's all over now... and you...you ain't gonna want fer nothin' anymore! W-w-were gonna take such good care of you, that... _SNIFF!_...that you'll be the most spoiled bunny in all the burrows! Y'hear me lil' Bean?"

"Thank you papa!" Bean said. Rubbing his head against Gideon.

Spots had an idea, but was afraid to ask. "Ummm guys? Since you're willing to take him, I'm wondering if...no it's too much to ask...Nevermind."

"Name it!" Julie shouted. "You saved my husband's life! As far as we're concerned, you're part of this family. I'll do anything you ask!"

"Well...I know you guys are adopting about three dozen kids, but how about an older sister for Bean?"

"...You?" Julie asked.

"No! No! Nick's adopting me! Thank you though. I was thinking about...someone else."

 **Meanwhile...**

Nick was sitting and talking to the B.M.Z. Reporter in a makeshift studio inside an empty hospital room. It was near the end of the interview. He didn't give away the names of the hawks so Zeke could live in peace and raise his chicks.

"...and so, with two of them dead, the other one took his young eyas and fled. We all got in the truck and drove here so we could tend to our injuries."

"Well that was a harrowing tale Mr. Wilde." Rabbecca said. "Thank you so much for talking with us."

"It was my pleasure. Now, if you don't mind. I like to make an announcement. The kits we saved will be gathered at Sister Mary Anderson's orphanage down on 3rd Street. If you had a child sacrificed today or even last week, come on down. We have several of them that are still alive and wanting to come home. We'll be there at 9 am sharp, so come on by-YIII-YIIII! -YIP!YIP!"

Nick was pinched by the ear and pulled away from the set by Bonnie who dragged him away. She pulled him over to a private corner.

"For fox's sake Bonnie! My ears are kinda sensitive y'know?!"

Bonnie yelled at Nick. "What the HELL do you think you're up to?! They may be attached to Stu, but I OWN those testicles!"

She then showed him her wedding ring. "...and this is the fucking receipt!"

"Calm down Bonnie! This is an important procedure to show to Bunnyburrow. If there's one thing this town desperately needs, it's birth control."

Bonnie got close to Nick's face. "You look me in the eyes and tell me this is about overpopulation and not revenge on Stu for trying to sacrifice your daughter!"

"Can't it be both? Oh, and thank you for reminding me of that. It makes this SO much sweeter for me!"

"WHAT ABOUT ME?!" Bonnie screamed. "Did you or Stu even think about how this would affect me?! I've been barefoot and pregnant most of my life! Being a mother is what I LIVE for!"

"You're a mother to 300 KITS and your what...45?! Tell me this isn't an addiction for you! Jimmy and Michael were from the same litter. One was deaf, the other is blind. How long have you been having children with birth defects and how many? Be honest."

Bonnie looked down. "Since I turned 39. Some have down syndrome. One has webbed feet. Another is missing an ear and a tail. We lost about five through miscarriages...Nick..."

Nick put a paw on her shoulder."...No offense Bonnie, you're a beautiful woman but you're too old to keep giving birth to these kits! It'll keep happening."

"I KNOW!" Bonnie sobbed into her paws. "You don't understand! Me and Stu had an arranged marriage when I was 13! I've been barefoot and pregnant 9 out of 12 months a year for 32 years! I just...I LOVE the feeling! I love feeling them kicking in my stomach! The back pain! Even giving birth! It's all I've ever known! I'm...I'm addicted to being pregnant!"

"Bonnie you have to STOP! You're bringing children in this world who are suffering due to your selfishness! Do you want to keep having handicapped children? To have miscarriages?"

"I know! I know! But..." She sobbed some more.

Nick hugged her tight and gave a gentle grin. "You're going to have a whole second life now with Stu and the kids and it's just beginning. Grandkits are already coming, you can watch them grow up. It's not like they're all gonna leave the nest, I mean, Jenny's still there and she's from the first litter!"

Nick continued. "Also, umm...I don't mean to be frank, but think of how your sex life will improve! The unnhh...'front door' so to speak will always be open from now on instead of occupied half the time. You two can act like crazy, care-free teenagers again!"

Bonnie blushed. "I doubt it will be like that."

Look, I don't mean to interfere in family business, but your pregnancies need to stop and he deserves a little vengeance placed on him! Y'know, the whole reason the hawks had he idea for going after bunnies is that Stu gave up his grandfather at the drop of a hat. Zeke just wanted food, ANY food and Stu gave him up quickly!"

Bonnie tears were replaced with anger. "Wait...Pop-Pop was MY grandfather! He dumped him on the hawk that fast?! He told me he put up a fight! That cowardly little..."

Bonnie pushed Nick back and looked into his eyes. "Nick...Let them cut his Goddamn balls off!"

"Well...they're not gonna go that far, but...will do! If you'll excuse me, they want me on camera again."

Nick went over to where Stu was having the operation. He spoke to the doctor. "Are we ready to go?"

"Anytime you are!" The doctor said.

"Stu?"

"I WANNA GO HOME!" Stu cried.

"Now no need to worry Mr. Hopps." The doctor said. "The procedure is relatively painless and you'll still be able to have a fulfilling sex life."

"RELATIVELY painless?!" Stu asked.

"Now Mr. Hopps, would you like local or full anesthetic?"

"What's the difference?" Stu asked.

"Well with local we inject this syringe into your testicles, then..."

"FULL! FULL!"

"You heard the man, doc!" Nick replied. "I'll go get the giant mallet."

"Shut up Nick!" Stu yelled.

Nick couldn't help but chuckle. He was loving every minute of this, but at the same time, it was important for the rabbits to be educated on the benefits of having a vasectomy. The cameras were set in place. Nick checked himself over. He was hosting this whole affair. The nurse put the anesthesia mask over Stu.

"Okay Mr. Hopps. Please countdown from twenty to zero for me. By the time you reach zero, you should be out."

Stu started the countdown. "Twenty...nineteen...eighteen...seventeen.."

It went on and he started to drift off. "Nine...eight...se-seven...siiiix..."

Nick could see Stu's eyes starting to roll back as he was about to pass out. He couldn't help himself and decided what final words Stu would hear as he drifted off to slumberland.

"Hey Doc! Are you really gonna use gardening shears?!" Nick said with a devilish grin.

"..five...fou-Whaaaa? Unnnhh..." Stu passed out.

Nick and the doctor got into their places. The cameraman was in position. "Okay! In three..two...one!"

"Hello everyone in Bunnyburrow! I'm Nick Wilde of the Zootopia Police Department and this is Doctor?..."

"..Snippenbill."

"...Seriously?! Umm... okay then. Dr. Snippenbill will be doing a Vasectomy on Bunnyburrow's own beloved Stu Hopps. As a father of over 300 kits, Stu has decided to lead by example and have this procedure done. Now, the first thing people are gonna ask is, you're not removing the testicles, correct?"

"Of course not. Stu will still have his testes intact and can still have an active sex life with his wife."

"What about with his mistress on the side?"

"..."

"I'm kidding. Now Doc, is a vasectomy an effective form of birth control?"

"VERY much so. With an operation done correctly, the chances of conceiving are almost zero."

"Almost?"

"There have been cases where pregnancy still happened, but it's very rare and usually shortly after the procedure where there still may be some sperm left behind. Eventually after 10 to 20 ejaculations, your sperm count should be down to zero."

"Now, how is the procedure done?"

"Well, we make an incision right over here near the the top of the testicles at the vas deferens."

The doctor and Nick were examining Stu. "Woah!" Nick looked at the camera. "Hey Bonnie! I see why you married Stu now! For a cowardly fella, he's got some huge nuts!"

Bonnie was watching with some of her daughters. She put her hand over her face. She started blushing and laughing.

"Sir, we are live on the air. Please watch your language!"

"Sorry doc. Anyway, what does the vas deferens do?"

"Well...think of the vas deferens as a bridge. Sperm are produced in the testes and travel down the vas deferens where they meet up with the prostate and the fluids involved with ejaculation."

"Hmmm...still not quite following doc."

"The best way to describe it is in more of a phallic manner. Imagine a rocket ship ready for blastoff."

"Yup. Pretty phallic already."

"The sperm are the astronauts boarding the rocket ship getting ready for takeoff. The vas deferens is the bridge that allows the astronauts to board the ship. If that bridge is gone, the astronauts cannot board. However, in this case, the rocket ship still blasts off unmanned."

"So what you're saying is..cutting the vas deferens...makes all the deferens!"

"...Your puns are horrible."

"Thank you. Is there any pain involved?"

"There may be some minor pain and discomfort a few days after the surgery. Stu here should not to any heavy lifting for at least a week."

"So no helping Bonnie with putting her bra on."

The daughters watching were all laughing their heads off. Bonnie was embarrassed. "Dammit Nick!"

"He also should not have sex for at least a week and there may be some very mild soreness in ejaculation for the first few months."

"Well thanks for that Dr. Snippenbill. I'll leave Stu's testicles in your capable hands."

Nick walked away chuckling as the doctor went through the procedure. He decided to have a chat with Tom and ask if he watched the proceedings. As he walked by, he noticed the lights were off.

" _Hmmm. Guess he's alseep."_ He thought. Then, heard it. Moaning and panting.

"Oh God baby! Yes! More!"

A car's headlights illuminated the room for a moment. Nick could only make out silhouettes from behind the curtain, but he saw it. A rabbit form was riding on top of Tom's lap. It looked a little larger than Judy, but Nick figured it was the way the shadows were being cast.

Nick was furious. He thought Judy had gone all the way with Tom. _"Dammit Judy!"_ Nick thought. _"I could've taken Jenny last night, but I stayed faithful! You could'nt even wait a little while longer, you filthy fox-slut!"_

Nick stormed off furious. No one was around, so he kicked a garbage can along the way. All he managed was to hurt his own foot. He limped into the room angrily. Spots was watching the procedure on T.V. With Cotton and Petey on her lap.

"Oh man! Dad! That was hilarious!" Spots said.

"Yeah. Yeah." Nick said. Not even looking at the hyena. He threw a bag at her.

"Here's your T-Shirt." He sat on a chair in the corner.

Spots saw the anger in his eyes. She was worried. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" Nick said with some anger in his voice. "Sorry. I'm just...tired."

Spots tried to change the subject. "The doctor said I could leave on a crutch starting tomorrow morning. He said in a day or two, I should be able to put weight on the new foot just fine! Me and Cotton are gonna be crutch sisters for awhile!"

"That's nice." Nick said with little interest.

Spots continued. "...Anyway..I was thinking. Petey said he doesn't have a dad. Just a mom and she's really mean. Under Bunnyburrow laws, there's nothing stopping us from just takin-"

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" Nick shouted. Spots cringed back and held onto Petey.

"Let me tell you an important lesson. Never, EVER get your hopes up! Because when you do and all these hopes and dreams inevitably come crashing down, you'll feel miserable. I took care of two mice last week. Fell in love with the little pups and after I found out their parents were presumed dead, I went to adopt them only to find out 'whoopsie!', their parents were alive and well and I lost them! After that happened, I finally became lovers with the girl I've been in love with for over a year. Then 'whoopsie again!', less than 24 hours later, we split up! Let that be a lesson kids! You can't have good things in life without something equally bad happening!"

"That's not true at all!" Spots argued. "If you'd just listen, I think Petey's mom is.."

"Drop it."

"...But..."

Nick got up into her face and growled. "I SAID DROP IT! Petey's going back to his mom in the morning and that's final!"

Everyone stared at him in fear. Guilt went across his face. Petey looked up at him with tears in his eyes. "What did I _HRRRNGG!_ do to make you hate me?"

Those words cut Nick deep. His ears drooped down. He grabbed Petey and hugged him tight, Tears in his eyes. "I'm so sorry! I don't hate you, I just...I'm going through a lot right now. Your a good kid Pete. I'd love to take you home with me, but still... you have a mother and I'm sure she's worried sick."

"I _GUH!_ Doubt that." Petey replied.

Spots just looked at Nick. He was in emotional turmoil she could smell it on him a little bit. Nick handed Petey back to Spots.

"Dad?...Something happened between the surgery room and here. Didn't it?"

"I don't wanna talk about it." Nick said somberly. "Let's just go to sleep."

"Okay." Spots said.

Nick got up and dimmed the lights in the room. Cotton and Petey decided to snuggle up with Spots while Nick laid on a row of chairs. The fox was accustomed to sleeping in uncomfortable positions, so this was nothing new to him.

"Good night kids." Nick said. "I love you."

"I love you too dad." Spots replied.

"I love you too daddy!" Cotton replied.

Petey chimed in. "I love you too Mr. Wilde!"

Nick chuckled. "Thank you Petey, but I'm still taking you to your mom in the morning."

Cotton had a question. "Daddy?"

"...Yes sweetie?"

"...Is Mr. Hopps a girl now?"

Nick laughed harder than he'd laughed in days. Spots joined in as well. "HA-HAA!" No. Not hee-hee! Not quite, honey! HA-HA-HAAA!"

 **Early Monday Morning, 2:15 am**

Stu Hopps had begun to Stir awake. Bonnie slept near his side.

"..."

"...GARDENING SHEARS?!"


	28. Chapter 28: Reconciliations

Chapter 28: Reconciliations

 **Monday 8:10am**

Judy is at the breakfast table with her newly adopted, blind son Michael on her lap. She's helping him learn different shapes through touch.

"Okay, now what fruit is this?"

Michael feels the fruit. "...Apple?"

"That's right honey!"

Judy's sister Jamie came out of the kitchen. "How's it going?"

"Five for five. He really knows his shapes!"

"I love fruit!" Michael replied.

"By the way Jamie, thanks for making breakfast. Mom's still not home?"

"She spent the night at the hospital with dad. Looks like this next batch of baby siblings will be our last."

"No thanks to Nick." Judy grumbled.

Jamie argued back. "Mom's last few litter have all had problems! Some of them died at childbirth. Judy. It's time mom stopped having kits. I think once she gets over this, mom and dad can have a new life together!"

"I guess you're right." Judy then chuckled. "She'll finally be able to go on those roller coasters she loves without any worries."

Jamie sat down with her plate. "Gideon, Nick and Tom are gonna meet up at the orphanage at nine to help reunite the children with their parents and take pictures. You gonna go?"

"Tom decided he wasn't ready for a relationship and...I really don't wanna see Nick right now. It would just be awkward. Besides, me and mom are gonna go see my blood relatives, the Haresons and hopefully put the past behind us for the sake of our families."

Just then, Jenny came walking in. Dragged out and tired. " _YAWWWN!_ Mornin' sisters."

"You look beat." Judy said. "I think I can guess what you were up to last night."

"Oh yea! My new boyfriend kept me up all...night...long. It was wonderful."

"Well..good for you!...It's not Nick is it?"

"No, but I did meet him at the hospital last night."

"Awww! That's nice! Does it seem serious this time?"

"VERY. He wants me to move in with him."

"Well I hope you two are very happy. It's about time you settled down instead of trying to steal your sister's boyfriends."

"Yep. I think that's the last one." Jenny said as she walked away.

Judy was confused, but decided to ignore it. She then heard the limo roll up. "I think that's mom! Let's go Mike!"

 **Meanwhile...**

Nick arrived at the orphanage with his kids in tow in Gideon's old pick up truck. Gideon and Julie were bringing Tom a little later, but in another of the Hopps' stretch limos with the rest of the missing children in tow.

Nick went into the office and talked to sister Mary.

"Thanks so much for coming! We already have a long line of folks waiting to see if their children are alive."

"Gideon's on his way soon with the kits. Right now, me and Spots are gonna pick up her belongings."

" 'Spots?' Do you mean Scratch?"

"Yes. I'm adopting her."

"Wonderful! The doe said. We've had paperwork for her all ready to go in an instant. No offense, Scratch. All you have to do is date and sign three forms."

"Dad." Spots said. "I'd like to go to my old room for a moment."

"Sure thing freckles. I'll come with you."

Nick bent over to talk to Cotton and Petey. "I'll be right back! Don't get adopted while I'm gone!" He joked. He then left with Spots who was now on crutches.

They made it to the classroom. It was as dark as ever. The desks were all thrown about with the exception of the middle one. Spots looked around the room. She saw ghosts of her old self. She saw herself throwing the desks around in a fit of rage. She saw herself looking out the window at children playing, much happier than she could ever be. She then saw herself sitting at the desk in the middle, sobbing her heart out. Tears started to roll down her face.

"Y'know, just yesterday at this time I was crying at that desk. Horribly scared because I was going to die and y'know what? A lot of me did die yesterday and I couldn't be happier. I have a lot of memories here. Almost all of them bad. I... _SNIFF!_...I used to set up the desks and pretend I was in school and all of the other empty desks had my friends there. I'd...I'd pass notes and love letters to Rose. Then reality would hit me and I'd go in a rage and throw the desks around...I..."

Tears started to swell up in her eyes. "You're dead Scratch! You hear me! You died and now I'M here! And I'm happier than I've been in years!" She sobbed into Nick's chest. He held her gently and rubbed her back.

"Do you have any happy memories?" Nick asked.

"One...you."

Nick was surprised. "Me?"

"When you made that stupid donut joke. It was the first time I laughed in years." She pointed to the beam of light shining through the window. "You see that beam of light? It's helping illuminate a room full of darkness. That beam didn't exist until two days ago. I believe that beam is a symbol. It's you. You became the beam of light in my dark life!"

She hugged him tightly. They both wept together for a moment. She then looked around the room for what she wanted.

"A picture?" Nick asked. "That's all?"

"Yeah. It's of me and Rose in happier times. Let's go."

They started walking out when spots stopped Nick. "Wait! I forgot something!" She picked up one of the desks to show Nick. "I did what you asked."

There, was a heart shape with "Nick + Judy" Scratched into the desk. Nick smiled. "I love you kid."

They walked out the classroom. It may have been the wind. It may have been ghosts, but after they left, the curtains flew open wide and sunlight shone into the room, illuminating every corner.

Spots got a surprise as she left the room. Her orphan siblings surrounded her. Some wanted hugs, others wanted autographs. They had heard of her heroism in fighting off the hawks and the same children who feared her now loved her.

"You have fun. I'll go sign the papers." Nick said. He made his way back to the office. On his way, he saw the limo pulling up. He went back in. Cotton and Petey were watching Spots get surrounded like a celebrity.

"Here you are!" Said Sister Mary. She handed him the papers to sign. He signed and dated one page, then then second. Then...he looked over. What he saw made his heart sink.

A hyena couple had come over and started talking to Spots. They shook her hand. After a short time, they started laughing. For Nick, it was like a punch in the gut. It was the mice pups all over again.

Cotton saw what was going on. She was getting worried. "Daddy! Sign the papers!"

"I can't!" Nick said. Tears swelling in his eyes. "They're...they're hyenas, like her. I... _SNIFF!..._ I have to do what makes her the happiest!"

Tears formed in Cotton's eyes. "Daddy! Please!"

He looked down at the forms. His hands trembled over the form. He was so close, but he couldn't do it. He punched the desk and started to weep.

Spots waved goodbye to the hyenas and came into the office. "You done yet?"

Nick wiped his tears. "Spots...I saw you with the hyenas. I want what's best for you. If you'd think you'd be ha-happier with them, I'd totally understand."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Spots asked. "They're a nice couple, but I turned them down. You and Cotton...and Petey for the next hour, you're MY family! I don't want anybody else!"

"Are you sure?" Nick said. His bottom lip trembling.

"Sure I'm sure! What's wrong with you?!"

Nick jumped into her arms and hugged her tight. A few tears came down. "H-Hey! Watch it! I'm on crutches y'know?"

"I know." Nick said. He very quickly signed the last paper. It was now official.

"Congratulations Scra-I mean, Spots! You are now Vivian Janine Wilde!"

" 'Janine' hunh?" Nick said with a smirk. Where do you keep hiding these pretty names of yours?"

"They keep getting buried under nicknames. 'Scratch', 'Spots', 'Freckles'."

"Do you want me to call you Vivian or Viv?"

"Only if you want a slug in the jaw!" She joked.

Moments later they met up with Gideon. He had Bean in his arms. During that time they stopped and took a few photos with some bunny fans.

"Can I see him?" Spots asked Gideon.

"Sure darlin'. Ah know whut you need to do. You go on. Ah'll catch up later."

Spots left. Nick, Gideon and Tom "The Three Fox-keteers" as some called them were taking pictures and talking. They watched as some parents rushed in and looked for their children. There was joy as some parents found their kits and hugged them tightly. There was sadness when others could not find their child anywhere. They came up to the foxes.

"Have you seen my boy?! He...He had a scratch on his left cheek!"

"I'm sorry ma'am." Tom said. "Everyone we rescued is standing over there."

They bawled is despair. Every couple coming in was either a heartwarming scene or one of heartbreak.

 **Meanwhile...**

Spots saw her. She was standing under the shade of an olive tree. He crimson hair flowing behind the mask she wore.

"Okay Bean, I gotta warn you.." Spots said cradling the limbless boy. "She's very nice to kids, but she hates my guts. Years ago, I did something very bad. I got really, really mad and I scratched her face off."

Bean gave a little gasp.

"I-I'm not like that anymore! But...her face looks pretty bad, so I wanted to warn you okay? I hope you'll like her."

"O-okay!" The boy said. A bit worried.

Rose saw her approaching. "What the HELL are you doing?! You're supposed to be dead, you coward!" She said angrily at Spots.

Spots kept appraoching.

"Stay away from me!" Rose yelled.

"I'm saying goodbye. I'm going to Zootopia with my new dad. I...I came to give you a gift. I know you can never forgive me for what I done, but I had to at least try to make it up to you somehow."

"...Who is this?" Rose asked.

Spots passed Bean into Rose's arms. "This is Bean! Gideon adopted him yesterday. He's gonna be your new baby brother."

"What?! The fat fox?" Rose asked. "I...I don't understand."

"They're adopting you into their family." Spots said. "They owed me a favor and I talked them into it. It's my gift to you. The least I could do after what I've done."

Tears were coming from the bottom of the mask. "No...no! Are you serious? I'm gonna have a family?! Me?!"

"Well, the other children are mostly real young and can use a big sister. I think they need to see the real you though." She reached over to take off the mask.

Rose back away. "No! Please don't!"

Spots removed the mask. "I'm not afraid of you anymore Rose. You'll ALWAYS be beautiful to me!" She gave her a gentle kiss on her scratched cheek..

Bean looked at Rose. "Woooah! Cool!"

Rose was surprised. "Cool?"

"Yeah, I mean you're nasty looking, but like Freddy Cougar! I bet we could have some fun on Halloween!"

"I...I don't frighten or disgust you?"

"No...you have a pretty eye though!"

She held onto Bean tight and wept a little.

"I'm gonna go." Spots said. "But I do have one last gift." She showed a picture of the two of them in happier times. She tore the picture in half and gave the Rose half to Rose.

"I wanted to give you something so you can always know who the real you is...goodbye Rose."

She started to walk away. Rose stopped her. "Wait!"

Spots turned around. "What?"

"Let's trade." Rose said. "I want to have a picture of you to remember by and you can have one of me."

Spots' smile was a mile wide. "O-okay! I'll bring Gideon over later!"

Rose looked down. She was in deep though."Look...I'll never...NEVER be your girlfriend again! Not after what you did! But...maybe...maybe we can be friends?"

Tears came down Spots cheeks. "I'd LOVE that!" She hugged Rose tightly. "I'll..I'll probably see you at Gideon's wedding! I-I gotta go!"

Despite moving along in crutches, Spots skipped along to meet up with her dad. Happier than she's ever been.

 **Monday 9:30pm**

There was a knock at Jack Hareson's door. "Coming!" He opened the door to see Judy standing there, holding a blind bunny. He could see Bonnie panting from behind. That hill is still too much for her.

"Judy?"

"Hello...Uncle Jack."

Jack's eyeglasses almost fell off his head. His mouth was agape. "You know?" She nodded her head with a smile. "YOU KNOW!" Jack gave her a huge hug.

He motioned them in. "Come in! Come in!"

They sat on the couch again. Bonnie felt nervous after the fight from two days ago. "I don't know Judy...What if Jill doesn't accept."

Judy held her hand firmly. "Jill can't deny me mom. If I'm family, then YOU'RE family! I'll fight for you if I have to!"

Jill walked out slowly. "Judy...Bonnie. So..you know? A-about your heritage?"

"Yes...and I'm very, VERY happy! I have answers to questions I've had...my entire life!"

Jill sat down. "That's...that's good." She started to weep. "I'm...I'm sorry Bonnie! I kept the children from you for so long and I had no right to! They need to know the truth now and I hope they can forgive me!:

Jack called for them. "Kids! Kids! Come on out here! We have something important to tell you!"

All the kits came out to the living room including the one with the crutch. That one puzzled Judy for a good reason.

"Kids, you know Judy Hopps right?" Jack asked.

"Yeah! We've met her before! She's the first bunny cop! She's a hero!"

Jack chuckled. "That's right! She's also...your cousin."

They all looked at her. "Wow! Really?"

"Yes." Jack explained. "My sister was her birth mother. I was..too young at the time to take care of a child myself, so we put her in with Bonnie's litter that came a few days later."

"I didn't even know we were related until the other day." Judy explained.

Jill continued from there. This part was the hardest for her. She was really worried. Would her kids look at her the same way? Would they feel betrayed? She decided to jump in and take a chance. "Okay, for those of you who are litter-born to me and Jack, please pay attention. This...is gonna require a bit more explanation and is a little confusing but...Bonnie here... she's...she's your birth mother."

"What?! We're adopted?!" The boy on crutches said.

Jill went into further explaining. "No! No! I'm your blood mother! You were born from my eggs and your father's sperm. She just carried you to delivery."

"Please don't say 'just' like that!" Bonnie said. "Delivering was the hardest part. Especially letting go."

"I'm so confused!" one of the children said.

"Sorry Bonnie." Jill said. "It's called 'In vitro fertilization'. You see, your mommy can't reproduce like other mommies and needs help. This is why you don't have a bunch of brothers and sisters like the other rabbits. The doctor took my eggs and your dad's sperm and mixed them in a lab, then put them in Bonnie's womb. Bonnie then carried you to delivery."

The children were still confused. "I _kinda_ get it, but...who's our mommy?"

Jill looked over at Bonnie. She smiled. Part of her finally accepted the truth. "Well...we BOTH are! I mean, you don't have any of her genetics, but you share some of her blood and she is physically related to you in a lot of ways so..."

She chuckled..."Heh...I guess you have two moms!"

Bonnie was in tears. "Oh Jill!" She went over and hugged her tight. Judy had to do her best to hold back weeping herself.

Judy laughed. "I guess now I'm your half-sister and your cousin!"

Bonnie took the cripple boy and held his hands. "I have to explain something to you! I...I'm the reason your leg is broke!"

"What?!" Cried the boy.

Jill was surprised. "Bonnie! You don't have to explain to Barry!"

"Yes I do! It's my fault!" Bonnie said. "Barry...When I gave birth to you and the others...I ...I couldn't let go! They wanted to take you kits from me and my motherly instincts kicked in and I held on to all of you! I held on too tight and...during the struggle we...we heard the snap. It was your leg. You were so fragile at the time that the doctors couldn't mend it back properly! Barry! Barry, I'm so sorry!" She hugged him and wept.

Barry wasn't sure what to make of it. Finally, he just patted her on the back. "It's okay ummm... other mom. It was so long ago and I don't remember it happening so..it's hard for me to get mad about it."

"I've got a question that's been puzzling me." Judy said. "The hawks have been taking the handicapped children, but... here's Barry, alive and well! Not only that, but you adopted even more kits and haven't lost a single child! How is that possible?"

Jack stood up proud. He unbuttoned his shirt to show a large scar and smiled. "Because we're hares! Nobody...NOBODY takes our kits! Did you see a hawk with a crack on his beak?"

"Yes." Judy replied. "That was Zeke!"

"I gave him that crack with a baseball bat!" He said smugly. "He gave me this (pointing to his scar), but after that fight, 'Feeding Day' never came around our house. They left us alone!"

"I feel so ashamed!" Bonnie said. "I only started to fight back yesterday and I wouldn't have had the courage to if it wasn't for Judy! I was going to give up Michael to the hawks, but Judy intervened and took over as Michael's mother."

One of the children raised their hands. "Does this mean we're getting more presents at Christmas?

They all laughed. Bonnie, Judy, Jack and Jill all talked for awhile it was the friendliest they've been to one another in over a decade. Finally, Bonnie got up to leave.

"I want to leave you three alone for a bit. I'm sure you have a lot of catching up to do!"

Jill stopped her. "Bonnie wait!" She came over and hugged her. "I'm...I'm sorry for how I've been over these past few years! I hope we can be best friends again! Please! Come by tomorrow! Oh! And bring Stu with you!"

"If he can walk!" Bonnie joked. "His...'boys' have swollen to the size of grapefruits after the vasectomy. I'll see if he can't hobble over. Judy? I'll see you at home sweetie!"

"Bye mom!" Judy said.

Jack spoke up. "Oh my gosh! I almost forgot! We have a ton of old photos of your mom and dad to share with you. I want you to take some home!"

Jack and Jill sat with Judy and they looked over the old pictures of Judy's parents. Jack shared some old memories of his sister Jane and her husband, Jacob Hopps. They laughed, they wept, they told old stories. Judy even played with her cousins a bit. They wanted autographs and to hear stories about Zootopia.

For a long time, Judy felt like she was different from the rest of the world. Like there was something missing from her life. Today, she had never felt more whole.

Still...there was one other thing missing from her life and she didn't know how to get it back. She wasn't sure she wanted it back.

That thing missing was Nick Wilde.


	29. Chapter 29: A Lady of High Class

Chapter 29: A Lady of High Class

 **Monday, 10:12am**

Nick, Tom and Gideon were seeing off the last of the rabbits when Spots approached them.

"Dad! Things went great with me and Rose! She wants to be friends again!"

"That's great hon!"

Spots hugged Gideon in his wheelchair. "Thank you sooo much uncle Gideon! She loves Bean! You can go over there now. Remember what I said though, her face can be hard to look at for some."

"Don't 'chew worry about that darlin'!" Gideon said. "We'll make her feel loved and welcomed. By the way Nick, with the Hawks gone, the orphanage is fully up fer business again and they're no longer holding off adoptions! Me and Julie 'er gonna pick up all our kids today!"

"Well that's great Gid! But aren't they worried about you to still being single parents to so many kids? I mean, I know you're engaged and all..."

Gideon and Julie looked at each other with a smile and then back at Nick. "Can y'all keep a secret?"

Nick figured out what was up. "You two didn't..."

"Yes we did!" Julie said. "There was a little church inside the hospital and we thought, w _hy wait?_ We eloped!"

"Congrats you two!" Tom said.

"Jus' don't tell the rest 'o the Hopps! The weddin' is still on, it's just well...ceremonial now!"

"As long as I get some wedding cake, blueberry pie and a chance to dance with the groom, I'm happy!" Nick joked.

Gideon was embarrassed. "Enough of the bromance jokes Nick! People'll start talkin'!"

"I'm gonna go spend time with Petey while I still can." Spots said and she walked away.

"She's really gonna miss that kid." Nick said. He noticed Tom yawning. He was still upset with him after thinking he was mating Judy the night before. Not knowing it was Jenny the whole time.

"Didn't get much sleep?" Nick said with an accusing eye.

"Heh-heh! Not really! Me and my new gal went at it all night long! I mean...wow!"

Nick was getting upset. "You sure work quick! I mean..you couldn't wait! Could you?!"

"Why are you upset?...Oooh! Right! I heard you two had a little fling."

Nick was flabbergasted. " 'A little fling?!' We talked about this. Remember?!"

"Really? I must've been half asleep on the ride to the hospital. Man! I don't know how either me or her had the stamina!"

"I don't think I wanna hear this."

"What's the big deal? It's not like you were serious with her."

"What?!"

"Jamie told me everything! I'm surprised you care so much. She's a pretty loose woman y'know?"

"...Are you kidding me?!"

"No! She told me she banged like...ten guys in the past month."

Nick's jaw was on the floor. He still thought Tom was talking about Judy and not Jenny.

"Anyway, I don't want her to live a life like that, that's why I talked her into moving in with me! She's got a few things to wrap up and then, we'll be living together. I'll make an honest woman out of her by gosh!"

"..." Nick couldn't pick up his jaw.

"She seems happy with me. She said I was the biggest she ever had! I'm worried I might have torn her a little. Man! She can do some tricks I'm not 100% sure are legal! Anyway, I got a call to make. I got the mayor's phone and I'm gonna fake being him to get that dam torn down. I'll see you later!"

Nick tried to say "see you later", but jaw was still dropped and it came out sounding like "thaayaa- waaadaa!"

Spots, Cotton and Petey all came up to Nick. "We're ready to go dad!...Dad?"

Nick was frozen. His jaw was still open. All he could think of was _"ten guys in a month!"_

Spots closed his jaw, but it dropped open again. She decided to have a little fun and moved his mouth up and down like a ventriloquist dummy.

"Hey dad! Why don't we skip Petey's mom's house and just keep him?!"

She moved his mouth up and down and poorly faked his voice. _"Sure thing honey! I love Petey! Let's keep him and go home!"_

"Great! Can I get a nose ring too?"

" _I don't see why not?! And you kids don't have to go to school either!"_

"YAAY!" Cotton and Petey cheered. Nick finally came to his senses.

"Okay, that's enough! Let's go."

 **Meanwhile...**

Rose saw Gideon and Julie approaching and quickly put her mask back on. She was still holding Bean. The two had formed a bond very quickly.

"H-Hello." She said nervously. "I'm...I'm Rose."

"Ah know all about ya darlin'. Spots...y'all know her as Scratch...She told me everythin'."

"We're happy to have you in the family." Julie added. "Can you remove your mask? It'll be fine. We promise."

Rose was hesitant, but she slowly removed her mask. Gideon and Julie had a look of surprise on their face.

"You're just like Spots described." Julie said.

Rose had her ears back. She felt ashamed. "Yeah? What's that?"

"Beautiful!"

Rose put her hands to her mouth and wept. "Th-thank you!...Mom. It's mom right?"

"Yes" Julie said. Both Gideon and Julie gave her a kiss.

"She looks nasty!" Bean said. "But cool! I like it!"

Rose laughed. She snuggled the five year-old bunny boy up to her face. She then looked over at Gideon and Julie.

"Thank you so much for taking me! I..I have one request."

"Sure darlin'? What is it?"

"When...when mom's not around, can I take care of Bean?"

"Awww!" Julie sighed. "You really love him that much?"

"Yeah. He's adorable."

Gideon warned her. "With bunnies, that counts as 'second mother' duties y'know? When the mom ain't around, the big sister has 'ta take over. Now Bean ain't got no arms or legs. He needs help gettin' dressed, cleanin' eatin' and goin' to the bathroom. There are times you may have to wipe his butt y'know?"

"EWW!"

"You asked for it." Julie warned.

" Well...okay." Rose said.

"Well...we best scoot along and go get the others. Yer all comin' home today!"

"Should I...should I wear my mask?" Rose asked tepidly.

"That's entirely up to you." Julie replied.

She thought about it. "Here. Hold this for me!" She put the mask on Beans face.

"Eww! It smells funky!" Bean yelled.

They all laughed. Julie pushed Gideon forward while Rose held Bean in her arms.

"Time 'ta round up the gang. YEEE-HAAW!"

"..."

"YEEE-HAAW!"

"..."

"Yee-Haw?"

"..."

"YOU DANG KIDS WANNA COME HOME WITH ME OR NOT?!"

 **Meanwhile...**

Nick was driving the pickup truck with Cotton up front with him and Spots and Petey in the back seat. They were both crying. Spots was kissing him by licking his face.

"I'm g-gonna miss you Spots! Just remember our promise! No cussing, no matter what! _SNIFF!_ Th-that way, when we're mad and about to say something bad, we'll stop ourselves and remember our time together!"

"Okay _NGGH!_ Thpoth!"

Nick hated it. He didn't want to see the two torn apart, but he knew she shouldn't have bonded with him like she did.

He sighed. "I guess I should go pick up my wallet first. That'll give you two more time to say goodbye."

"Th-thanks dad!"

"I just pray it's still there! It has my badge and everything!"

They arrived at the house. The same house where he first confronted Zeke the hawk and saw the poor bunny child die. He remembered how helpless he felt, but also how determined he was to save the rest of them. Then, he saw them. The family was around the tree in front of the house, but their was a panic in their voices.

Nick was shocked. The mother had put a noose over the branch of the tree and had a short ladder under her. She was hanging herself. There was a crowd of voices coming from the family.

"Honey! Don't do it!"

"Mommy! Please! No!"

"Don't leave us mommy!"

Nick rushed into action. He ran over and put the momma bunny's feet on his shoulders. She couldn't drop to kill herself now, but she was still struggling.

"Please! Let me go! I don't deserve to live!"

"Don't kill yourself ma'am! Think of the children!"

"If I'd have thought of the children sooner, my little boy would still be alive! I saw you! You fought for them when nobody else would!"

"Look. The hawks lied to you. There was only two of them, not dozens! Anyone would have coward before them with that information."

"You didn't! You fought back! We should have done the same! I'm a coward! I don't deserve to live!"

"Yes you do! Even if you don't want to live for yourself...live for them! Live for your children!"

The father got a saw and cut off the branch. Nick finally was able to bring her down. He did a group hug the the mother, father and three children and they sobbed and wept.

"We've only had one litter! I swear! The hawks seemed to be coming just after us! Week after week! We started with eight kits! Now...we're just down to three! We have a real hard time conceiving as it is!".

"I'm sorry." Nick said somberly. "I wish there was more I could do."

The father presented Nick with his wallet. "Here you go."

"Thanks for holding onto it for me. The hawks are gone now, but is there anything I can do for you?"

The father put his paw on Nick's shoulder. "You risked your life to save our son. I...couldn't ask for anything more."

Nick hugged the mother goodbye. "Things will get better. I promise."

Nick got back into the truck.

"Is she gonna be okay daddy?" Cotton asked.

"I think so." Nick then chuckled. "They'll at least have a good dinner tonight seeing as how I'm missing about $120 in cash from my wallet. The poor, poor little thieves."

 **Monday 11:23am**

They finally arrived in front of Petey's house. The front of it looked dilapidated. Trash was strewn everywhere and the lawn hadn't been mowed in months.

"Are you sure this is your house Pete?" Nick asked.

Petey didn't want to answer. He was holding onto Spots tight. "I don't HNNGH! wanna goooo!"

"I'm sorry buddy. We're all gonna miss you, but think of your mom! She must be worried sick!"

"Thee wouldn't cawe!"

"That's a lie!" Nick said sternly. "Now come on!" Nick pulled him out by the hand. Spots followed behind.

"C-can't we just lie and say he's dead and leave?" Spots said with tears in her eyes.

"No. I'm sorry Petey. This is goodbye." He knocked on the door.

An nasty-looking lady rabbit answered the door. She had missing teeth and a T-Shirt that read 'Insert dick here' with an arrow point down to her crotch. She reeked of booze. A cigarette hung from her mouth.

"What the fuck do you want?!" The rabbit said.

"Classy." Nick thought out loud. "I saved your son. I came to bring him back. Spots?"

Nick turned around. Spots was growling very low. She had a look of anger in her eyes he'd never seen before. Drool was coming off her bared teeth.

"She's real bad news dad. I've never smelled anything like this! Move aside and I'll kick her ass!"

"No you will not!" Nick shouted. "Now...stay!"

Spots obeyed. She stood still, but her growl never left. She grumbled to herself. "I wanna rip her apart. She's awful. Awfuullll. I _hate_ herrrr.."

The lady lit her cigarette and looked down at Petey. "So you ran away like a little coward hunh?! You're so gutless, you foul-mouthed little shit!"

"You left me on _HNNNGGH!_ the chain for two weeks!"

"Don't you fucking talk back to me! I'll slap the shit out of you!"

Spots charged. Nick had to do everything in his power to hold her back.

"Spots, please! Trust me on this!"

" _There is no Spots now, only Scratch!"_ She growled through her bared, drooling teeth.

"Noo. Scratch is dead. I need you to trust me right now."

Spots looked at her dad in a pleading manner. "Please dad!"

Nick smiled. "It's gonna be okay."

She eased off. Nick turned around. "Do I understand that you left this child chained up for the hawks for two...weeks?!"

"I gave him food and a bowl of water!" She said back. "Besides, if he needed a snack, there's the tall grass!"

Nick looked at Petey and stopped him from entering the home. "Son, get back in the truck and sit with your new sister. You're coming home with me."

Spots squealed with glee. Nick stopped her from going to the truck with Petey. "Actually, Spots. I'd like you to keep and eye on this roach for a second."

Spots turned her attention back to the rabbit, snarling in her face.

"You can't just fucking take my kid!" She argued.

"Oh I can and I will, you horrible monster!" Nick flashed his badge. "In fact, I'm going to take ALL of your children into child custody!"

"Fuck you asshole! You have no right to!" She yelled.

" I do if I find the children are in danger. You see this hyena here? This is my daughter, Spots. She has a nose for knowing when someone is awful and lady? You...smell..terrible! But my nose does something different. It's REAL sensitive to all kinds of smells and I've been trained by the ZPD to smell out certain drugs. _Including the crystal meth you're currently cooking in your basement!_ You messed up big time lady! I got you on child endangerment, abuse and narcotics!"

She knew the jig was up. She tried to shut the door, but Nick stopped it with his leg. She took off running.

"Spots!...Get her!"

"With pleasure!" She growled. Spots dropped her crutches and took off running. Pain in her new foot be damned, she was gonna catch this monster. She roared as she tackled the bunny.

"Spots! Don't hurt her. Just subdue."

"Well...okay!...Can I hurt her arm a little if she tries to resist?"

"Sure, just...don't injure. I'll check on the kits." Nick called out to them. "Kids?! This is officer Nick Wilde of the ZPD! We're gonna take you away from here and into a better home! Your mother is under arrest!"

"LET ME GO!" Shouted the rabbit.

"You have the right to remain silent roach!" Spots growled. "Besides, you REALLY don't wanna tick ME off!"

"Kids?" Nick looked everywhere. Finally, he decided to to go down to the basement. There they were. Twenty kits all with coats and masks on, cooking crystal meth for their mother.

Nick was shocked beyond belief. "Sweet biscuits!" He flashed his badge to the kits. "My name is Nick Wilde. I'm an officer with the ZPD. Please turn off all burners and head upstairs. Your mother is being arrested. Don't worry! You'll all be fine!"

They all started turning off the burners. One little bunny walked to the front and took off her hood.

"Are you really gonna arrest my mommy?"

"Yes. I'm...I'm sorry."

There was a moment of silence...followed by cheering.

"We're free!" One of them shouted.

Nick had them go to the back of the pickup truck. Nick cuffed the rabbit while Spots brought her outside. She was not gentle with her.

"What are we gonna do with her dad?"Spots asked.

Nick smiled. "Oh, I have an idea."

Moments later, the foul-mouthed rabbit was chained to the tree and had an "X" placed under her.

She was getting scared. "Th-the hawks won't come! I heard it on the news! They left!"

"One moment." Nick said. "I need to make a call."

The cell tower and been put back up and Nick was able to make calls again. H walked across the street so he would not be within ear shot of the rabbits sensitive hearing.

"Ground control to mayor Tom! It's Nick again. Look, I was gonna return Petey home only to find out his mother's a drug addict who was forcing her kids to cook meth in their basement!...Yeah, I know, it's sick! I need you to get... _sherrif_ (Nick hated the fact that the deputy got rewarded for his crimes when he should be punished) Strife over to lock the roach up. I'm taking her twenty children to the orphanage until their aunt or uncle or whoever can pick them up."

"I'll have him there in no time!" Said Tom. "Oh and by the way, the dam is coming down tomorrow!"

"That's great news! Hey. If I don't see you tonight, I'll see you at the wedding in one month!"

"Okay then! See you later!" Tom hung up, but Nick stayed on pretending to still be on the phone. He walked back over to the foul-mouthed mother.

"Thaat's right Zeke old buddy! She's here under the large 'X' . She's probably more delicious than she looks!"

"Wh-who are you on the phone with?!"

"One of my hawk buddies. Yeah...yeah...if she gets too riled up, just slit her throat with your talon. I might have some of the stew myself! See you later!"

"Y-y-you're lying! It's all a trick!"

"Okay. If that makes you feel better, maybe I'm lying. Maybe I'm not. You'll know soon enough. Tah-tah!"

Nick got into the pickup truck. Spots couldn't be more happier and was licking Petey's face all over. As they drove off, all the horrible mother could do is look up in the sky in great fear.

Nick drove for a few blocks and started talking to Spots. "Spots honey, I'm very proud of you! You did a GREAT job assisting my arrest! You controlled your temper despite really wanting to tear into that woman. You should be a police officer like your old man!...Spots?"

Spots didn't answer. She was bawling. Nick stopped the truck immediately. He got out and pulled the front seat down. He rubbed her head.

"AAAAWWW-HAAAW-HAAAWW!" She cried.

Nick rubbed her head. "What's wrong honey? Are you sick?"

"Nnn-no! Everything's great! I...I...I'M JUST SO HAPPEEEYEEE!" She cried even harder. Nick wiped the tears from her eyes.

"I w-was supposed to die yesterday! _SNIFF!_ N-now, I got everything I could have wanted! I got a dad! I got Cotton as my sister! Rose forgave me and now...I GOT PETEY!" She cried some more. Petey and Cotton started to cry too. They all did a group hug. Then, Spots tilted her head up and started to howl. Nick couldn't resist and howled with her. Cotton and Petey did their best to howl as well. Just for fun, the kits in the truck bed gave a howl too. It was a sweet, family moment.

Nick wiped their tears and got back to the front seat. "Well sweetie, you deserve it after what you've been through. Beware though. Do you know what happened to the girl that got everything she wanted?"

"N-no. What?"

Nick looked back at her and smiled. "She lived happily ever after."

She smiled back. "I love you dad."

"Well Petey, my new son! We need to drop off your siblings to the orphanage. You can say goodbye to them there."

"They were _NNGGH_! mean to me! I'm gwad I'm going wiff you."

"Don't be like that. Kits will be kits. So...who can pick them up? Your aunt and uncle? Grandparents?"

"All of my mommy's _NNUUH!_ welatiffs dithowned her. They wiv on the other side of the countwee."

"...What about your dad's side?"

"We don't know them. Thee never _GUUHH_! got maweed and we have fwee different daddies."

"Ooooh crap. No one can take them?! If I take them to the orphanage, they may get split to different families! I can't do that to them! I already took them from their mother!"

Spots was worried. "Uhh dad? What are you gonna do?"

"I...I don't know! Oh no! Oh crap!"

Spots chuckled. "Congrats dad! You now have twenty three kids!"

A dry lump went into Nick's throat. He was terrified.

"Oh no! NO! Nooononononono! I can't possibly take care of twenty-three kids! I'm a fox, not a rabbit! I'll barely be able to afford you three! Oooh mammal! What am I gonna do?!"


	30. Chapter 30: And Then, There Were (2)3

Chapter 30: And Then, There Were (Twenty) Three

 **Monday, 12 Noon**

Nick was pacing back and fourth outside of the pickup truck in a panic. He had no intention of taking in twenty extra children and was out of options. With his cell phone now working, he decided to make some calls.

"Stu! Buddy! H-Hey! It's your favorite future son in-law, Nick!"

"What the hell do you want Nick?! Stu replied on the other end of the phone. He was still upset about Nick nipping his nads.

"Saaay. Remember when you said you'd take in whatever kids where left over? Well, I got twenty kids here who'd love a new family!"

"Waait a minute!" Stu said. "I thought you guys only rescued a few dozen and they said on the news that most of them were picked up!"

"Look, I'm gonna be honest with you. I rescued them from a horrible woman who forced them to cook crystal meth. I don't wanna take them to the orphanage because they might split up the siblings! You got like, over three hundred kits! What's twenty more?"

"Wow Nick! Looks like you're in a bit of a pickle!"

"I am! I really am! So...can you help me?"

"Heh-heh! HAHA! AAAHAHAHAHAHAA! You're screwed Nick!" He hung up the phone.

"No! WAIT!" _Click!_ "Stu? Stu?! Oh no!"

He decided to try Gideon. "Hey Giddyup! Look buddy! I'm in a bit of trouble. I had to rescue twenty kits from a mean lady who was using them to cook crystal meth, but now I'm stuck with them! Can you use twenty more kits? Please?"

"Sorry Nick! Ah'm gonna have mah hands full with three dozen plus Ah have now! Oh! Tell Spots that Rose is an angel! Her and Bean are thick as thieves!" Buh-Bye!"

"Gideon! Gid! Hello?" He was starting to panic. "I'm...I'm out of options!" He sat on the ground against the truck started to mutter to himself.

Spots was looking concerned. "...Dad?"

"I just wanted to be a dad! The little lamb was so cute! I couldn't resist! Now look at me! I can't do it!"

Spots put her arm around Nick. "Calm down dad! It's gonna be okay. I'm here. We'll figure something out."

"Three's a good number! Why does it have to be more than three? Why am I being punished for being a good person? I just want three."

"Three."

"Three?...That's it! Spots! Get in the truck!"

They jumped back in and took off. Nick arrived back at the home of the mother who tried to hang herself. They only had three kits left.

Nick knocked at the door smiling. The woman was confused. "Why are you back?"

"Hello miss! You see this cut along my arm?" Nick showed her the stitches. "That's from me bravely trying to save your child. Again I'm very sorry for your loss. I'm also thankful I was able to save your life. You DO remember me saving your life?"

"...Yes?"

"Good! Look, you said you had a hard time conceiving, yes?"

"Yeah?"

"And you almost committed suicide because your house was starting to empty. Correct? Only three children left."

"Why are you bringing this horrible stuff up?"

"I want to do you guys a great big favor! You see, there's some kits who were recently orphaned and I thought they'd help fill up your home nicely!"

The mother looked at at her husband. "Well I don't know."

"If you do this for me, I'll overlook the fact that you took $120 out of my wallet and stole one of my credit cards."

The father rabbit started to sweat. "I...I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Riiiight." Nick said. "Look. Just do this for me and I'll overlook this and let you use that credit card up! Okay?"

"Are they good kits?"

"The best!" Nick lied. "They really know their way around a kitchen too!"

"Well, I could really use some help there." The mother said.

"You're telling me!" Said the husband.

"Shut up Harold! Okay...Bring them in. This is so exiting!"

"Wonderful! I'll be right back. Nick ran to the back of the truck. "Okay kids. This is a really nice family who lost some children recently. They're wiling to take you all in so don't mess this up! Oh, and whatever you do, don't mention the 'M-word'?"

"M-word?"

"Meth! Don't mention anything about making meth!"

Nick took the children to the house. "Here you are! They could use a good bath though. They came from a single parent home and the mother was abusive."

"Aww! That's a shame!" Said the wife. She looked down at one of the little girls. "So! I hear you're good in the kitchen!"

"Yes ma'am! I know how to make crystal..."

"Light!" Nick interrupted. "Crystal Light! It's her favorite powdered drink!"

Harold the father shook Nick's hand. "Well, I'm not sure if this is the right decision yet, but the house really feels full. As long as it makes my wife happy, I'm happy!"

"I hope it works out. You folks have a great day!"

Nick headed back to the truck and got on his smart phone.

"What are you doing daddy?" Cotton asked.

"Canceling that credit card. I'm taking you and Petey back to the Hopps house for a moment. Me and Spots have some work to do."

"What are we doing?" asked Spots.

"Going back to the hawk shack."

Spots was shocked. "WHAT?!"

"I promised to prepare the bodies for Zeke."

Spots wasn't too happy. "Ewww! They're probably stiff as a board by now!"

"If you ever want to be a cop, you'll have to deal with stuff like this."

 **Monday 2:12pm**

The deed was done. Nick and Spots had prepared the hawks bodies to be taken by Zeke. They used police tape given to them by the mayor to keep away any trespassers before Zeke could arrive. Spots almost threw up when she saw the horrors in the kitchen. They buried the bunny bodies including the decapitated girl, each with a small cross. They said some prayers on their behalf and left. Nick was real proud of his hyena daughter. She took it all in stride and handled herself professionally.

Now, Nick took Spots, Cotton and Petey out of town to go shopping at the local mall. They needed clothes for the return trip.

Nick looked around Hop Topic as he promised Spots he'd take her there. The kids were looking elsewhere in the store.

"Hey Spots!I think I found the perfect shirt for you!"

Spots scoffed. "After that glitter shirt? I don't think you can choose me a good shirt if you..."

She saw the shirt. It was pure black with a goth-looking tiger with a nose ring on it. It said "lesbian and proud" in big letters.

Spots smiled. "Hunh! I stand corrected."

Cotton came up to Nick with a toy. "Daddy! Can I have this Slop Vinyl Floatzen figure?"

"No. We're just getting the bare essentials right now until I figure out my finances."

Then Petey came up. "I want a Ninten-doe game!"

"We're just getting clothes!"

Then, Spots showed up with a spiked leather collar on her neck. "Dad! Check this out! Isn't it cool?"

Nick was offended. "No freckles, it's NOT cool!"

"Why not? It's got spikes and everything!"

"It's oppressive! Wearing a collar tells people you're submissive. You don't want people thinking that do you?"

"But it looks awesome!" Spots said.

"Can't I have one toy?" Cotton asked.

"I want something to play on the trip to Zootopia!" Petey yelled.

They all surrounded him and were arguing left and right. He looked at them all. When they weren't bickering with him. They were bickering at each other. Nick just smiled. This silly moment was it. This was when he finally fully realized that this was his family and nothing would change that. He took a moment to soak it all in.

"What are you looking at?!" Spots asked.

Nick grabbed all three of them up and scooped them in his arms. He took a deep breath and sniffed them.

Spots chuckled "What are you doing, you weirdo?"

"Can't you smell it?! It smells wonderful!" Nick took another big sniff.

Cotton giggled. "What are you talking about Daddy?!"

"That new family smell. I love it!"

They all laughed. Spots picked up Cotton and licked her face. "And it tastes good too!"

"EEWW! Stop it!" Cotton protested while giggling.

Nick payed for the shirts they chose and they left to J.C. Piggy for some more clothes.

"You need to get some bras Spots." Nick said. "You don't need another incident like at the shack."

"Aww c'mon dad! I like my ladies flying free!"

"Nothin' doin'! Besides, having a bra on can actually help you fight better! All female athletes keep their breasts tight to the chest for running, boxing, all sorts of things! Just not too tight because I hear that can be unhealthy."

"I guess." She then turned her attention to Cotton who was eyeing the Halloween section of the store.

"You wanna go check out the masks?"

"Nooo!" She said, scared and squirming.

Spots eased off. "Okay! Okay! Why don't you go spend some time with Petey and dad? I gotta look for some pants."

Cotton hobbled over to Petey and Nick on her crutches. Nick was watching Petey shop on his own. Petey said nothing but his tick was still there.

"... _HNNNGG!...NNUHHH!...RRGGH!_..."

Every tick gave him a wince to his face. He'd clench his teeth and squeeze his eyes shut. Nick was concerned.

"Hey, son?...Heh, gonna have to get used to that. Ummm...You look like your in pain when you have those grunts. You okay?"

"It'th diffewent fwom _HHRRG! C_ uthing. I have to wemember not to Swear so _HEEEUGH!_ It hurts a widdle. Wike trying to thtop a thneeze aww da time!"

Nick was concerened. "Then why didn't you tell Spots that?! I don't want you to hurt yourself?"

"I made a _GRRR!_ pwomith!"

"I know and that's very sweet, but your hurting yourself. I never thought I'd tell one of my kids this, but go ahead and cuss."

"NO!" Petey yelled.

"Don't you yell at me! I'm your father!"

"I made a pwomith!"

"I know, but your hurting yourself! Where's Spots?"

Spots popped out from behind some pants in a goblin mask and scared Cotton.

"RAAHH!"

"EEEEEE!" Cotton's scream was super high pitched and she started to cry afterwards.

Spots was laughing only to have her father yell in her face. "What's wrong with you?! You were so happy that she finally stopped being scared of you and you do this?!"

"I was just teasing!"

"Bullshit!" The kids were shocked. He's never cussed in front of them before. Nick was livid. "You were teasing her plenty in the truck too! You're supposed to be the big sister! She's supposed to look up to you, not hate or be scared of you and all you do half the time is tease her!"

Spots had her ears down. "I kissed her in Hop Topic."

"Yeah, but even then it was kind of a tease. Meanwhile, you baby and coddle Petey all the time! How do you think she feels when you act like you love him more than her?"

Spots was getting mad. Tears were forming in her eyes. "Don't act like she's not YOUR favorite! You always baby her! You didn't care about Petey until he was forced onto you!"

"I didn't want to get too attached since I was gonna drop him off to his mom! I didn't know how horrible she was and I did keep him didn't I?! I'm still getting to know him, but I've been paying much closer attention to him than you!"

"What the hell are you talking about?!"

"His wincing! He told me it hurts him when he has to hold back from cussing. It's his release when he has that tick. If you didn't baby him so much you...would.."

Nick looked down. Cotton and Petey were hugging and crying together.

"P-Pweeze don't _HUNNGH!_ fight!"

Nick and Spots knelt down in front of them and hugged them. "No! No son. We're just...arguing."

Spots rubbed Cotton's back. "I'm sorry! I guess I was being a 'wooly-bully'! I'll cut down on the teasing. Okay? No more big scares. Oh, and Petey? Let's forget that promise! If cussing helps your ticks more, you go on ahead."

Nick patted Spots on the shoulder. "You see? THIS is what I need from you sweetheart! You have to understand, I'm a single father right now. You're the oldest. The closest thing these two have to a mom is you! I can't be there for them all the time, that's why I need you to set a good example for them. I may not always act like it, but I love all of you equally. That said, out of the three of you, out of all four of us, you Spots, are the most important member."

Spots was taken aback. "...Me?"

"I can't be there for them all the time. I need you to be the one to watch over them when I can't. I worry about what happens to you guys if I'm killed in the line of fire! That's why...I'm adding you to my will. Well, I mean I'm writing one for the first time tomorrow. Basically, if...God forbid, I die unmarried and you're over 18, you get Cotton and Petey."

Spots was in tears. "Are you serious?!"

"DEAD serious! Well...hopefully not dead, but...you understand. Look I'm sorry I'm harder on you than the others, but I HAVE to be! You're not just my daughter, you're my backup. You get me?"

" _SNIFF!_ Yeah. I get you." They gave each other a huge hug.

Cotton tugged on Nick's shirt. "Daddy?"

"Yes honey?"

She was blushing. "When she scared me I...Well...I need to change."

"I got this. My bad anyway." Spots said. "I'll spend some quality time with her, you spend some quality time with Pete."

"Sounds good." Nick said with a smile. "Now, Pete my boy, what size pants do you take?"

" _COCK!"_

"...I'm not sure they have that size."

 **Monday 3:15pm**

The Wilde family were heading back to Stu's house in the truck.

"I need to go to the CZS pharmacy real quick." Spots said.

"Why?" Nick asked.

She blushed. "For...stuff."

"What stuff?"

She was getting mad. "You know! Vagina stuff! Tampons! Maxi pads! When I have my period, it's like the elevator scene from 'The Shining'!"

"OKAY! OKAY! Sheesh! Can't you just say 'feminine hygiene products'?"

Petey raised his hand. "OOH _FUG!_ OOH! I think I can!"

"Not you Petey!"

"Wemme twy! AHEM!...feminine hygiene products. I THAID IT!"

Nick was beating his head on the steering wheel. "Congratulations." .

Spots was happy. "You said that perfectly! High five!" Petey was ecstatic that he could say something clearly. It would be Nick's annoyance throughout the day.

They pulled into the local pharmacy. Nick held Petey's hand while Spots walked crutch by crutch with Cotton. He went to talk to the ewe receptionist.

"Can I help you?" She asked.

"Yeah. My daughter here needs.."

"FEMININE HYGIENE PRODUCTS!" Petey shouted at the top of his lungs.

Nick facepalmed. "Yeah...that." Spots and Cotton were behind him, laughing their heads off.

They left with Spots personal stuff and some medicine Cotton needed. They headed out to the Hopps house one last time before making the journey to Zootopia.

 **A/N And yes, I'm wrapping this up soon. Only two more chapters, an epilogue, after story notes and a deleted scene to go.**


	31. Chapter 31: The Ride Home

Chapter 31: The Ride Home

 **Monday, 3:46pm**

Zeke the hawk had arrived back at the shack on the hill. He had flown low as to avoid as much attention as possible. He went from wanting to be seen to incite fear to fearing to be seen. He landed and saw what Nick had prepared. Skinner and Calhoun were both wrapped up tightly in easy to carry nets. Both had a homemade cross by their heads and a note. The note read as follows.

 _Hello Zeke. Hope you and your children are well. Me and Spots have prepared Skinner and Calhoun for travel and I hope the netting is easy to grab. Anyway, you'll be happy to know that Tom managed to get them to destroy the dam by tomorrow so your lake should start filling up again soon._

 _Now I need you to do me a favor. I said a prayer with two men I considered to be my enemies. I want you to do the same for the bunny victims you and your brother killed. Some of them are buried in the back. Best Wishes, Nick Wilde_

 _P.S. Just don't go eating any more bunnies...okay pal?_

Zeke smiled at the letter. "Nick. You're a damn good fox." He did as Nick asked and gave his apologies and a prayer for the dead bunnies. Then, with a bit of a struggle, he grabbed the netted Skinner and Calhoun with his talons and flew off, never to be seen in Bunnyburrow again.

However, the next time he would meet Nick...would be in Zootopia.

 **Meanwhile...**

Nick and his kids had arrived back at the Hopps home. Nick was worried as they were running late. They arrived in the kitchen where Judy was waiting. She had Michael in her lap and she was helping teach him braille with a book she bought.

"What took you so long?" she asked.

"We had to stop off at the pharmacy."

She looked down at Petey. "I see you kept the boy."

Nick rubbed his head. He was obviously embarrassed. "Yeeah. That's a long story."

Judy then looked over her shoulder into the living room. "Hey Jamie! I was right! He got another one! You owe me twenty bucks!"

Nick couldn't help but laugh. "The nun gave me a punch card. Two more orphans and I get a free latte."

Just then, Jamie called out. "Oh no! Judy! I need you over here! I got a little emergency!"

"Stay with Nick, Mike!" Judy excused herself and rushed over to Jamie who was in the bathroom.

"I'm glad she's gone." said Nick. "I'm not sure if I'm ready to talk to her yet."

He then looked at his children. "Look kids, I've been giving this a lot of thought. Zootopia isn't safe right now. Predator crime is on the rise and there's some mention of a 'prey purge' possibly happening soon." Nick pointed to Cotton and Petey. "I'm especially worried about you two since you're prey. I gave it some serious thought and for the next two weeks, you'll be living with my mother. Your grandmother that is."

Cotton was upset. "You just got us and now you're leaving us?!"

"No! No! I'll come by every weekend and try to visit during the week when I can! She lives about thirty miles from the city and it's a fairly long trip to get there by public transportation. Oh geez! I just realized I'm probably gonna have to get a car now! It's not just the whole 'purge' thing, I have no place for you kids to live! Judy owns my apartment now and I'm sure she's gonna kick my butt out first thing tomorrow. I need a place with at least three rooms."

"What about me?" Spots asked.

"You're tough enough to handle yourself. You're gonna come with me. I'll need your help desperately."

Petey started to sob. "Y-you're taking her from me?!"

"No, no son! Remember this is only temporary! Besides, you'll have a great time at my mother's. She's wanted grandchildren for years! She's gonna freak out when I tell her the news. I'll phone her now. "

 **Meanwhile...**

Judy knocked on the bathroom door.

"Come in!" her sister Jamie said. Looking anxious and nervous.

Judy came in. "Alright, now what's the big emergency?"

"This." Jamie held up a pregnancy test stick. It showed positive.

"Oh dear...and the father?"

"I barely know him! We met online about two weeks ago! Judy, what am I gonna do?"

"Tell him the truth! He'll have to do the responsible thing and marry you."

"And if he doesn't?!" She said with worry.

Judy smiled. "Well, that's what dad's rifle is for."

Jamie panicked. "You can't tell mom and dad! They'll freak!"

"Well they'll find out soon enough!"

"I know! Just...here take this!" She handed Judy the pregnancy test stick. "Dad checks everything! I can't just throw it out. He'll find it."

"I'll take it but...wash it off first! It's got your pee on it!"

"Sorry." Jamie said. She then washed off the test stick in the sink.

"Frankly Jamie, I'm surprised. It's not like you to be careless like this. I mean, your sister Jenny should be pregnant ten times over by now."

"Yeah well, I'm supposed to keep this secret, but Jenny's sterile. She doesn't want word getting out as it's harder to get rabbits interested in you if you can't produce offspring."

"You'd think it would be the opposite." Judy said. She took the freshly washed stick and put it in her purse.

"Thank you so much Judy! I owe you one!" Jamie hugged her sister close.

"I'll throw it out when I get back to the city. But don't take too long to tell mom and dad. They hate when we keep secrets."

"I know, I just have to make sure Richard takes responsibility first."

"I take it that's the name of the rabbit who knocked up my favorite sister? You want me to arrest him?"

Jamie chuckled, "No. I just gotta set everything right before telling dad. Thanks again!"

"Anytime sis!" Judy then walked out of the bathroom.

 **Meanwhile...**

Nick was about to talk to his mother with his kids in the kitchen.

"Watch this...I don't even have this on speaker. Hey ma! How are you?...That's good. Hey, I'm in Bunnyburrow and I'm gonna swing by your place tonight is that okay?...Good, good. Listen, I need a favor...No not money! Not yet anyway..."AHEM!"...I was wondering if you could do some babysitting for me?...Two of them, maybe three, I have to talk to Judy...Who's kids are they?"

Nick looked over at his children. He put his paw over the phone. "Wait for it." He went back to talking with his mother. "Well, that's the thing ma...they're mine! I'm a father! You know what that means?"

He held up the phone to the kids. Nick's mom was so loud, she didn't need to be put on speakerphone.

" _Oh my God! OH MY GOD! I'M A GRANDMA! I'M A GRANDMAAAA! Bobby! Sweetie! Bobby! Did you hear that?! AAAAAHHHH! BRING THEM OVER RIGHT NOW! I WANNA SEE THEM! I WANNA SEE MY BABIES!"_

Nick laughed. "Mom! Mom! Calm down! Who's this Bobby? Is that the bobcat you told me you were dating?...He moved in with you?! Well, now it's getting serious...What's that? Oh! Their names. Yes. Well...one of them I call Cotton. Her real name is Christine and she's a very sweet lamb. She has a condition where she was born with her knees backwards so she walks with crutches. The other little one is Peter but we call him 'Petey' or 'Pete'. He's a bunny with a bit of speech problem. He has a lisp and tourettes so he may cuss a lot in front of you but it's not intentional. The third one is my eldest daughter who I call 'Spots'. She's 14 years old and a Hyena. Guess what her real name is?...Vivian!"

" _Are you kidding me?!"_

"Nope! We got two Vivian Wilde's in the family!...Look mom, I've made a lot of mistakes in the past. The biggest one is staying away from you. I'm... _SNIFF!_...I'm sorry! I promise you, that's never gonna happen again! You'll be seeing a lot of me from now on! But...I need to talk to you about dad. There's a reason I stayed away for so long. I'll...I'll explain to you in person when I get up there. We should be there in a few hours...I love you too. Goodbye."

"What was that last part all about?" Spots asked.

"It's...personal...that thing about my dad I mentioned before. Remember?"

"Oh...Okay." She said quietly. She understood.

Judy returned to the kitchen. Nick was concerned about the schedule.

"You ready to go?! We're running a little late, but if we hurry, we should be able to make it."

"Bad news." Judy said. "Because of the storm, the train is off schedule for awhile. If we take that, we won't be home until Tuesday night."

"Well that's no good!" Nick replied. "We have to be at work by tomorrow morning or Bogo will have our heads!"

Just then, Bonnie entered the room with Judy's luggage. "It's not a problem Nick! You'll all be taking one of our personal stretch limos all the way there. You'll even have a driver so you guys can talk in the back!

" _Great!"_ Nick thought. _"And here, I was hoping to avoid Judy in another car. Now, we'll have no other choice but to talk!"_

Judy looked down at her new son. "You got all your stuff Mikey?!...Mike?"

Michael ran into the direction of Bonnie and found her leg. He held onto it tight. Tears were forming around his blank eyes. "I don't wanna go! This is my home!" He started to sob.

Judy's ears drooped. "M-Micheal please! I can't go without you!"

"I know my real mommy abandoned me, but...I'm scared! I don't know any other home! Please don't make me go!"

Tears ran down Judy's cheeks. She was at a loss for what to do. She wasn't expecting this from Michael, but it made sense. "Michael...Sweetie please! You're like a part of me now! I..I can't let you go!"

Bonnie looked down at Michael hugging her leg. She knew what she had to do and it would be one of the hardest things she's ever done.

Bonnie kicked Michael off her leg. Her tears already forming as she said the hateful words. "Get off of me, you worthless blind bastard!"

"MOTHER!" Judy screamed.

"I want you out of my house! I...I never wanted a blind child t-to begin with! You're a freak!"

Her words hurt Michael deeply. He never felt so betrayed. "M-Momma! Why?!"

It was heart wrenching for Nick and Judy to watch. Bonnie squeezed her eyes tight, but the tears kept flowing. "Y-Y-You were an accident! _SNIFF!_ Get out of my house!" She shoved Michael down. Judy grabbed him quickly and he bawled into her shoulder.

Judy carried him out to the car. Nick gave his children instructions. "Kids, follow her to the car. Cotton, stay with Michael. He loves you so hold him close."

"O-O-Okay Daddy!" Cotton herself was sobbing from the scene.

They all left together. Nick stayed behind and hugged Bonnie closely. She wept into his shoulder. "I'm so sorry Bonnie. That had to be the hardest thing!"

"N-Not as bad as leaving them to die! I _SNIFF!_ Think this was my punishment for not doing something sooner!"

Judy ran back into the kitchen while Michael was sobbing all over Cotton inside the car.

"Mom! You didn't have to!"

"Yes I did!" Bonnie argued. "He wouldn't have left otherwise! When you love your children, you have to do the right thing for them no matter what the cost!"

Nick and Judy both hugged Bonnie until she was done weeping.

Moments later, they were back to the limo. Michael was weeping on Cotton's shoulder and even Spots was sniffling a bit and wiping her face on Cotton's cheeks when she wasn't rubbing Michael's head with her paw.

"I'm really glad I'm a lamb daddy!" Cotton said with pride.

"Oh? Why's that?"

"Because my wool can soak up tears." She said with a smile.

Nick thought that was a sweet thing to say. "Awww! Okay guys! Bathroom check! Who has to go before we leave?"

"Not me!"

"I'm _THIT!_ Good!"

"I'm fine."

"I'm okay sir!"

Nick gave them a stern look. "Are you sure?! We're gonna be on the road for a few hours."

"Yes!" They all said.

"Okay then." He packed up the car and they left.

 **Ten minutes later...**

"Daddy! I gotta pee!"

"I gotta take a _THIT!_ "

"Need to mark my territory dude!"

"Mommy! I gotta go potty!"

Nick was furious;. "I JUST ASKED YOU TEN MINUTES AGO!"

Spots just shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah, but we didn't have to go then. Duh."

 **One gas stop later...**

"Woah. Carrots! Look!"

Judy looked out the window to see what Nick was fussing over. They were driving just under the "Welcome to Bunnyburrow" sign on a road next to the train tracks. There was something very different this time. For the first time in Bunnyburrow history, the numbers were going backwards.

It turns out that after the three month long hawk scare, a lot of residents were leaving en masse to either Zootopia or back to Hareisburg. Not only that, many bunnies who witnessed Stu's live vasectomy decided to get the procedure done themselves. It was so successful that one wing of the hospital was declared the "Stu Hopps Wing". While overpopulation was still a problem, it was finally showing signs of getting under control.

It was an hour into the long drive and Nick and Judy had barely talked to each other. Spots was having fun playing with the kids and blowing into Peteys stomach.

 _FFRRRRTT!_ "Woah! Dad! Petey won't stop farting!" She said while still blowing into his stomach. Petey and Cotton were giggling their heads off.

 _PHHHFFRRRRRRTT!_ "Woah! I think he had too much soda before he left!"

Even Michael was starting to laugh. Judy was starting to get annoyed.

"Okay you two! That's enough."

 _FFRRRPPTTT!_

"Guys!" Judy said. "I said that's enough!"

Petey was confused. "Thhee didn't _FUG!_ touch me!"

"My bad!" Spots said. "That was a real one."

Nick was the first to smell it. "Oh sweet biscuits! Roll down the windows!"

"EWWW!" Said Cotton. Holding her nose.

Judy was confused. "What? I don't smell any..." She got a whiff. "Sweet cheese and crackers!" She rolled down the window on her side and stuck her and Michael's head out the window.

"WHEEE!" Michael said. He liked the feel of the air rushing over his face.

"Eh. I don't think it _BALLTH!_ thellth that bad." Petey said.

Spots felt insulted. "Ah, you're just being drama queens!"

 **Moments later...**

Judy was letting Cotton blow her nose into a hankey. "EEWW!" Said the lamb. "I can still smell it!"

Judy looked over at Nick who still had his head out the window. "She's your daughter Nick, you should be doing this."

"Sorry. The feeling of the fresh air blowing on my cheek fur feels so good! Besides, Cotton likes it over there with you and Mike. Especially Mike."

There was a bit of an awkward silence. There was so much that they wanted to say to each other but were too afraid to. Spots decided to break up the awkwardness herself.

"Hey Judy! So what happened with you and your blood family?"

"It went great! Judy said. "Aunt Jill and my mom are finally talking and she finally told the kids that mom was their 'birth mother, but not blood mother'. It was a little confusing for them at first, but she straightened everything out. Also, I found out everything about my blood mom and dad! He was a solider and my mom was a spy!"

Nick decided to get a joke in. "Looks like you found a lot about your 'hare'itage!"

"UGH! Nick please! You were better off being silent."

Nick fur got rustled a bit. "You mean the way you and Tom were silent at the hospital last night? Oh wait! You weren't! Everyone could hear you two!"

Judy was confused "What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb with me! I saw you and Tom going at it at the hospital! He then told me you two mated all night long!"

Spots was concerned. "Dad...this isn't appropriate talk in front of little kids!"

Judy was ticked off. "I don't know what you're talking about! For your information, Tom and I..." Her detective skills kicked in. She remembered Nick saying that Tom said they mated all night long. She also remembered who else told her she went all night long...Jenny. Jenny also said she met this person at the hospital. She put two and two together. Jenny was mating Tom behind her back.

" _That back-stabbing, boyfriend-stealing slut!"_ Judy thought. She kept her cool and decided to have some fun with Nick.

"You're right! I can't hide it any longer! Me and Tom are madly in love!"

Michael was confused. "Mommy! You're ly-"

"SHHHH!" Judy whispered into Michael's ears. "Mommy's not serious, she's just teasing Nick. Okay?"

"Ah-Ha!" Nick said. "I knew it! That's why you're moving back here soon and living with him!"

"Wha? I mean, yes! I have to. You see...a miracle occurred."

Nick was confused. "What are you talking about?"

She pulled out Jamie's positive pregnancy stick. Nick was horrified beyond belief. "That can't be real! That's physically impossible!"

"And yet, here it is. I'm pregnant and Tom's the father!"

"I-I-It's not true! There's no way! It must have been one of those ten other guys you slept with this month!"

"WHAT?!"

"That's what Tom said! He said he wants to make an honest woman out of..." Nick finally realized the truth. He felt stupid for not realizing it sooner. "..Wait...that's not you! You're not like that."

"No I'm not! Thanks for finally noticing! I thought you knew me!"

"It's Jenny, isn't it?"

"I'd say 'you catch on quick' but I'd be lying."

"Then whose stick is that?!"

"Jamie's. She wanted me to hold onto it until we left Bunnyburrow. She accidentally got pregnant."

Nick fell back in his seat. "I never took Tom for a gigolo. HA! She stole a man from you again!"

Judy was annoyed. "Shut up. He stole her from you as well y'know?"

"I was never serious with her. I just used her to get under your skin. I realize now that was wrong of me. I'm at least glad that she's happy."

Spots was getting annoyed by the both of them. "Okay, okay! You had your fun. Now can we please stop this?"

"Thank you Spots!" Nick said. "It's nice to see someone mature and in control of themselves."

"Aww crap!" Said Spots. "Here we go."

Nick put his arm around Spots. "Judy did you know that the reason I took Petey in is that his mother abused him and the rest of his siblings and forced them to cook meth? Spots wanted to tear into her. She was furious, but when I told her to subdue the mom, she did it professionally and without harming or killing her! She's gonna be a REAL cop when she grows up! She has some self control. Unlike someone I know." He said it all with a smug look on his face."

Spots had her ears down. "Guys? Please stop."

Judy was livid. "Okay, One, she can't be a cop because she can't pass a physical without a real foot."

"You don't know that!" Said Nick. "Amputees can still take the physicals."

"TWO! A bad mother is completely different from a psychotic serial killer who you witnessed murdering children! Not to mention the mindset I was at during the moment and THREE! You wanna talk about self control?! I'm going home with one child while you're going home with three!"

"Yes! I'm going home with three wonderful children who I rescued!"

"We were still a couple and you didn't even consult me before picking up Cotton!"

"You knew the emotional state I was in at the time! And as I remember, you weren't too upset!"

"You're gonna be so poor."

"Maybe, but I wouldn't trade them for anything. At least I have my mom to babysit them until I get settled. What are you gonna do with Michael while you're at work?! Did you even think about that?!"

"I'll...I'll figure out something!"

"We're going over to my mother's on the way home. Leave him with her for a bit."

"You didn't tell me this! We're on a tight schedule! Besides, Michael's been torn away from his home. I couldn't abandon him again!"

"It's dangerous for prey in the city right now! My mom lives way on the outskirts."

"I don't care! I'm not leaving him there!"

They were arguing again. Spots was getting sick of it. "...Guys?"

"If you cared for his safety, you would!" Nick argued. "You're so selfish!"

"Guys please? You're upsetting the kids!"

"I'M selfish?!" Judy yelled. "You're the idiot bringing in three kids to the city with no real plan!"

"So now I'M the idiot? Listen cotton butt, I should.."

"ENOUGH!" Spots screamed. "BOTH OF YOU SHUT THE HELL UP! You're supposed to be the adults around here! You two are acting like a couple of little children! Cotton, Mike, Pete, they don't wanna hear you fight! New rule! You two don't talk to each other until we get to grandma's! Got it?!"

"Well, she started.."

"THAT'S AN ORDER DAD!"

"Yes, Chief!" Nick saluted his daughter. "I think I lost my alpha status. Look, why don't we nap the rest of the way? I gave the driver GPD directions to my mom's so we should be there in about two more hours."

"That sounds like a great idea." Judy said. She went to grab Michael, but he was already snuggling with Cotton and they were half asleep. She just leaned against him instead.

Nick put Peter on his lap. Spots protested.

"Hey! I was gonna sleep with him on my lap!"

"You've babied and coddled him enough!" Nick said. "It's my turn now."

Spots chuckled. She put her arm around her father while Peter rested his head on Nick's chest. The fluff of his fur acted like a pillow.

They started to drift off to sleep, but Peter had one more thing to say.

"Myth Hoppth?"

"Yes?" Judy replied.

"Feminine Hygiene Products."

"...What?!"

Nick, Cotton and Spots started to giggle.


	32. Chapter 32: Two Cougars

Chapter 32: Two Cougars

 **A/N Okay, we got ONE more chapter after this. This one went longer than expected.**

 **Monday Evening, 7:48pm**

The limo had stopped. The snoozing passengers were jolted awake by someone slamming their paws on the door and shaking the car a little.

"GRANDKIDS! LET ME SEE MY GRANDKIDS!" Vivian Wild yelled and she pounded on the door.

"Cheezus Mice, mom!" Nick shouted. "You're gonna give me a heart attack!"

Nick opened the door and Vivian tried to bolt in. Nick however, held her back with his paws. "Now, now! You'll get to see them one at a time. First up, is my first daughter, Christine umm...oh my gosh! Honey, I don't know your middle name!"

"It's Shearon!" Cotton said.

"Thanks sweetie! I can't believe I didn't ask that before! Come to think of it, I don't know Petey's either."

"Hurry up!" Nick's mother said with impatience.

"Sorry. Here's my daughter, Christine Shearon Wilde A.K.A, Cotton!" Nick pulled Cotton out of the car and handed the lamb her crutches.

Vivian caressed her face with her paws. "Oh my gosh! You are so adorable! How old are you?"

"Seven."

"Oooh, you're a big girl now!" Vivian said.

Cotton giggled.

"Believe it or not, she's the niece of our dear, ex-mayor. Dawn Bellwether."

Vivian looked at Cotton. "Well, I'm sure you'll be a much nicer person than your naughty aunt!"

"I'm next! I'm _ATH-HOLE!_ Next!" Shouted Petey.

Nick chuckled. "Okay! Okay! Next, is my five and a half year-old bunny son, Peter ummm...middle name?"

"Shlarphenblargen!"

"...What?"

"Mommy was dwunk when thee named me."

"O-kaaay! Y'know what? You're getting a new middle name."

"YAAAY!"

"Introducing Peter Cussin Wilde, AKA Petey, AKA Mr. Potty-Mouth!"

Vivian knelt down to meet his eyes. "Ooooh, so you're the one who knows all the cuss words, hunh?"

"Yeth gwamma!"

"Then I better be careful around you!" She said winking at Nick. "We use the really bad words around here, like 'twing' , 'flibble' and 'bwark'."

"Don't forget 'crig'!" Nick added.

Vivian covered Petey's ears, not that it stops a rabbit from hearing everything. "Nick! You can't say 'crig' in front of a child!"

Nick chuckled. "Okay, okay! I like how you think ma. Anyway, you've met my daughter, you've met my son, now here's something in-between."

"HEY!" Shouted Spots in protest. She was still in the back of the limo.

"Just kidding, freckles. Finally, my eldest daughter, Vivian Janine Wilde, AKA Spots."

She came out of the limo. Vivian was surprised at just how tall she was.

"Oh my gosh! You're the same size as me! Y'know, I have some old dresses in my closet that you might like."

Spots chuckled. "Thank you, but I'm kind of a 't-shirt and shorts' kinda girl."

"Oh nonsense! All girls loves dresses!"

"Even lesbians?" Spots added. She wanted to come out as quickly as possible so there wouldn't be any confusion.

"Yes. Even lesbians." Vivian replied without blinking an eye. "Okay you three! Let's get in the house! I've got some treats for you and I want you to meet my new boyfriend, Robert!"

"Oh! So I finally get to meet my new dad?" Nick chuckled.

"Don't tease dear. He's not much older than you, y'know? He's 39."

Just then, Judy stepped out with Michael. Vivian went over to hug her.

"Judy dear! I haven't seen you since Nick's graduation! Have you made an honest man of my son yet?"

Judy chuckled. "Almost. We...we became a couple Friday night..."

Vivian squealed. "YES! YES! I'm so happy for you two! I've been waiting for th-"

Judy stopped her cold. "Wait! Wait! We broke up the next night. It was a huge fight. We're...we're barely speaking to one another." Judy looked away. She couldn't look Vivian in the eyes.

Vivian's ears drooped. "Oh...no!" She then looked sternly and angrily at Nick. She pinched his ear and pulled his head down. "What did you do?!"

"Ow! Ow! Why do you mother's go for the ears?!"

"Tell me!"

"All I did was propose to her too soon!"

"And adopt Cotton without telling me." Judy added. "AND tell me I was adopted in the most mean way AND make out with my sister Jenny!"

"Only after you dumped me!" Nick added. "Did I mention she also shot a hawk who was tied and cuffed?!"

"Okay, that's enough!" Vivian intervened. "You can tell me more inside." She then saw Michael getting out of the car. "Oh my! Is this another grandchild?"

"This is my son, Michael." Judy replied. "He's my baby brother. He was gonna be a sacrifice, but I rescued him."

Vivian was confused. "Sacrifice?"

"As you said, we'll tell you more inside, mom." Nick answered. "It's...a pretty grim story."

"Well I will say you two had a very productive weekend." Vivian replied. "You went to Bunnyburrow as a couple only to split up and come home with four kids! Nick! What are you gonna do for money?"

"I...haven't figured that out yet." Nick replied. "I make good money as a cop, but supporting three kids will be tough. I might have to dip into my savings."

"You've been adding to that savings account since you were ten." Vivian noted. "Have you checked it recently?"

"I don't think I ever have!" Nick replied. "Could've grown quite a bit by now."

They all then heard some soft, piano music playing. It was very sweet and melodic.

"Who's that jamming on the ivories? Nick asked.

"That would be my Bobby! Come in and I'll introduce you two!" She picked up both Cotton and Peter while Nick held Cotton's crutches.

"I can carry one of them mom!"

"Oh no you don't! I want these little darlings as close to me as possible!"

As they walked into the house, Spots was looking over at Michael. He was acting mad and fussy. "Is he gonna be okay?" She asked Judy.

"Yeah. I think he just misses home." She replied.

They walked inside. There, in the living room was Vivian's boyfriend, Bobby playing the piano with a beautiful melody..

"Bobby sweetie!" Vivian shouted. "Look at my grandchildren!"

Robert stopped playing and turned around to look at the kids. "Well! Aren't you the cutest thi-...uh oh."

He saw Judy. Judy noticed him right away too.

"Robert Catmull? Bobby Cat?!" Judy asked.

The cat awkwardly rubbed his head. "Guilty as charged. Heh-heh!"

Judy started to laugh. "Oh wow! Is this gonna be awkward!" She then turned her attention towards Vivian. "Viv, do you know how old Robert is?"

"He...he told me he's a young-looking 39?"

"He's 26." Judy replied.

He buried his paws in his face. "I'm so busted!"

"TWENTY SIX?!" Vivian shouted angrily. "This bobcat I've been sleeping with is half my age?!"

"Cougar." Bobby corrected. "My nickname's Bobby Cat so people get that confused."

Nick was having a hard time holding back a laugh.

"We were schoolmates for years." Judy answered. "We were in the same grade. From elementary school all the way to high school. We even dated for a bit, until he tried to hit on my mom!"

"BOBBY!" Vivian shouted.

"Viv honey! I was gonna tell you soon I swear! I just...I didn't know how you'd feel about dating a much younger man! I just...I got a thing for older women!"

Nick couldn't stop laughing. "Gee mom! I... _hee-hee!_ I thought you liked dating outside of your species!"

"What are you talking about? I'm a vixen!"

"HA-HA! The way I see it, he's a cougar...dating a cougar! HAHAAA! A cougar dating a cougar!"

"Oh shut up!" Vivian shouted. Even Judy was stifling a chuckle.

"Don't get too cocky Nick. " Judy replied. "You're now romantically linked to your own mother."

Nick shuddered. "Thanks for the reminder."

 **Moments later...**

Judy and the children were around the piano listening to Bobby play music. They had explained everything that happened that weekend. Nick pulled his mother aside. "Do you have a moment?"

"Sure honey!" Vivian replied.

"You okay with...'junior' there? I mean, he's eight years younger than me!"

"I dunno...I'm mad at him for lying to me but, he is a sweetheart and treats me real well. I wouldn't still have this house if it wasn't for him. Did you know he's a famous songwriter?"

"No but...as long as you're happy, that's the main thing."

"Well, I'm not lonely anymore." She replied. "No thanks to you."

Nick had his head down. He was ashamed of himself. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I'm not running away anymore. You'll see me a hell of a lot more than you did!"

"Oh surrre! Now that you have children you can barely afford to raise!"

"It's not just that! During my fight with Judy...I came to terms with something and opened up a big secret about my past. There's a bigger reason I stayed away. I think...I think I'm responsible for dad's death."

"What on earth are you talking about?"

"When I was fifteen, you had me go see dad at the jail. I didn't want to at the time. I was a stupid, rebellious teenager. I...I said some mean things. Things I really, REALLY regret now. He was concerned about me running away and hanging out with Finn. 'Why aren't you taking care of your mother?' He asked. I replied with 'Why aren't you?!' "

"Nick!" Viivian shouted.

"I was a kid mom. Remember? But that wasn't the worst. Not by far. He blamed me for not helping support you. I replied back that he could help... _SNIFF!_...h-help support you by killing himself and letting you collect the insurance!"

"Dear God, Nick...why?"

Nick was starting to weep. "I was a stupid, stupid kid! Anyway, that was the night he killed himself. It was all my fault! Mom! M-Mom, I'm so sorry! I couldn't tell you! I was so ashamed of myself, I couldn't face you again!"

He embraced her for a moment, crying into her shoulder. They both wept together until she pushed him away and started beating on him with her balled-up paws.

"OW! OW! Mom stop it!"

She had tears running down her cheeks. "You idiot! You stupid, stupid idiot! Did you think I wouldn't forgive you?! You're my son! I'll always love you! All you did was punish me by staying away! I was so lonely!"

She caressed his cheeks. "Now you listen to me Nicholas Piberius Wilde! You did not kill your father! The police later confirmed to be that his death was a possible homicide!"

"What are you talking about?! They found him hung by his own bedsheets!"

"No dear! Zootopia's prison bedsheets rip real easy on purpose to keep suicides from happening. They believe someone switched them out and he was hung by someone else using regular bedsheets. There was signs of a struggle! It wasn't your fault!"

Nick clenched his fists tightly. "Who?...WHO DID THIS?!"

"They never found out. I'm...I'm...so sorry son! I thought you knew!"

"I bet it was that bastard Rusev tying up loose ends. If I ever meet him..."

Vivian hugged him from behind. "Don't ever go down that route, son. It's not worth it. Look what happened with Judy."

Nick gave out a big sigh. "I know...You're right mom. I'm a big, stupid idiot. I should've confessed all this sooner. Can you forgive me?"

"Of course dear. I'm gonna go back inside. I want to see if Spots will fit into any of my old dresses."

"Good luck with that." Nick chuckled. "And while you're inside, can you see if your boyfriend will come out here for a second? I'd like to talk to him."

"Be nice." She warned.

Nick raised his paws as if he was offended. "When have I ever not been?"

 **Moments later...**

Judy's sitting with the kids watching T.V. In the meantime, Spots and Vivian are looking over her old clothes while Bobby has gone to see what Nick wants.

"Hey there! You wanted to see me ummm...son? HA-HA! _URK!_ "

Nick puts his arm around Bobby, but in more of a tight choke hold.

"One, don't ever call me that again. Even if you marry my mother in the future I never, EVER want to hear that again. You are seven years my junior. Two...and...this is the most important one, why is a 26 year old cougar dating my 52 year-old mother and lying to her about it?"

"I'll answer if you let me out of this choke hold!"

"Fine" Nick released Bobby. The cougar got some breath back into his lungs.

"As you probably know, she's been working at a retail store downtown to make ends meet. I was a regular customer during the slow hours and we started chatting. She was really charming and sweet. She doesn't look her age at all. I decided to go for it. I knew she was much older than me, she told me herself. Talked a lot about you too, especially being the first fox cop. I...I fell in love with her. I make real good money as a songwriter, so I ended up staying with her at the house here. I support her and pay most of the bills. Before you ask, yes, we do mate... _AHEM!_...often. I'm sorry I lied, but I figured she wouldn't want to be with someone so much younger than her."

Nick gave him a stern look. "And what about when she's 72 and you're 46? When she's 82 and you're 56?! Are you going to stay around for her then? I need someone who's going to make her happy for the rest of her life, not just some fling with a musician!"

"Can I be honest with you Nick? I hope you don't kill me after saying this, but...I've always had a thing for much older women. I love the wrinkles, the slightly sagging breasts, the imperfections! All of it! Nick, the older she gets, the more I'm gonna fall in love with her."

Nick didn't care for that last part. He grabbed Bobby by the cheeks with the claws. "Look...my mother is not your personal fetish! You wanna love and support her that's fine, but I don't EVER wanna hear that you're getting your kinks out of my mother's wrinkles among other things! Do I make myself clear?"

"Y-Y-Yessir! Look Nick, I genuinely do love her and we get along great! I'd never do anything to hurt her,. I swear!"

"Oh, I'll make you keep to that!" Nick warned. "Look, you seem like a good enough fella. First weekend I get off, we'll hang out a bit so I can get to know you better. In the meantime..."

Nick pointed two fingers at his eyes, then one at Bobby, indicating " _I'm watching you!"_

There was a bit of awkward silence as they hung outside at the porch. Bobby then gave a chuckle. "Heh! 'Getting kinks out of wrinkles'. Maybe I should nickname myself 'the steam iron'! Get it? Cuz it's kind of a laundry joke!"

Nick just started menacingly at him. He stared... and. stared...and stared.

Bobby was getting nervous. " _AHEM!_ Yeah. I'm just gonna go back inside now."

"You do that."

 **Meanwhile...**

Vivian was showing Spots some of her old clothes.

"What about this one?" Vivian asks. Holding up a blue dress with frills and sequins.

Spots chuckled. "Oh my God, your stuff is so old! Where's your flapper girl outfit?"

"In the other closet with my cave girl leopard skin." She said with dripping sarcasm.

"I'm sorry grandma, I'm just not the kind of girl who..." She saw it. She loved it. A pitch black silk gown with bright silver linings on the side. They mirrored each other in a beautiful way. The black absorbed the light while the silver reflected it back. It was edgy while being very elegant at the same time.

"Woah." Was all Spots could say.

Vivian noticed her reaction. "That's one of my favorites. I wore it on my prom night to woo your grandfather away from his date. Worked real well."

"Can I try it?" Spots asked. Her ears blushing. She was never one for dresses, but this one just called to her.

"Of course! I insist!" Vivian shut the door to her room and helped Spots put on the dress. They talked for a bit.

"Spots, I need a big favor from you."

"Name it!" Spots said as she was undressing.

"I love Judy. She's the best thing that ever happened to my son. I need you to help nudge them back together. Whatever they're going through, it shouldn't tear them apart."

Spots was slipping the dress over her head. "I'll try! I really like Judy! She's tough! But those two? They're acting like children! The tiniest thing and their back to fighting! I actually had to yell at them just to get them to keep quiet in the car!"

Vivian helped adjust the dress. "Wow! You really seem to know how to assert yourself! That's good!"

"Well, I usually do what dad asks, but girl hyenas tend to be the alpha of the family. My mom worked for a living while my dad stayed home and took care of me. Nick reminds me a lot of him. Very gentle and kind."

"I want this family whole Spots. I'd like Michael to be my grandson too! I know it's asking a lot, but..."

"I'll try my best." Spots replied.

Moments later, Spots was looking at herself in the full length mirror with Vivian behind her. She couldn't believe it. It was like she was looking at someone who was not her, but her more beautiful, elegant twin. For the first time in her life, she saw herself as a lady.

"What happened to that butch girl Nick brought home?" Vivian said cracking a smile. "Have you seen her?"

"I look beautiful!" Spots commented.

"It's yours." Vivian replied.

Spots was shocked. "Really?! I can keep it?!"

"Of course! It doesn't really fit me anymore and it's of no use just stuffed in an old closet. Let another Vivian Wilde wear it and woo some nice girl. I want you to have it."

"Thanks Grandma!" Spots gave her a big hug. Just then, Cotton pushed her way through the door.

"Spots help! Mike and Petey are fight...wow!" Even she was impressed with how Spots looked.

Spots rushed into the living room just in time to see Nick and Judy pull the bunnies off of each other. Michael started the fight and left Petey with a bruised eye.

"Michael! What's wrong with you?!" Judy yelled.

"He sounds stupid! I hate his face!" Michael yelled.

Peter was crying on Nick's shoulder. "What'd I do? I _BWARK!_ don't underthtand!"

"I hate his stupid face! I hate this stupid house! I hate my stupid mommy! I WANNA GO HOME!" Michael cried. He sobbed openly.

Judy was devastated. "Y-You don't mean that! Honey, I love you and am trying my best to take care of you!"

"I never asked for this! I _GASP!_ I didn't wanna leave home! _SNIFF!_ M-My real mommy kicked me out because of you!"

Tears were running down Judy's cheeks. "M-Michael please! I love you!"

" _SNIFF!_ I just wanna go home. I don't care if my real mommy doesn't love me! I-It's all I know!"

"Tough shit!" Spots replied. He took Michael from Judy and placed him on her lap. "You don't get a choice! It sucks. It really does, but you don't get to go back! That's life! Trust me, I know. I used to live in Zootopia with my parents until I was ten, then...we...we were forced to leave."

"Forced?" Nick asked.

"I don't wanna talk about that part. I had to make a new life in Bunnyburrow and I hated it. I went to a new school, started making new friends then... _SNIFF!_...even that was taken from me! W-When I saw...when my parents died, I was then taken away to the orphanage and had to make another life for myself. I messed that one up royal!"

"How did your parents die?" Nick asked.

"I SAID I DON'T WANNA TALK ABOUT IT!" She yelled. "Sorry! Sorry! Look Mike, life sucks sometimes. Like...really really, bad. But it gets better. I'm a million times better off today than I was just two days ago and it'll happen to you too! We love you, you stupid kid!"

She put Michael back in Judy's lap. Only then did Nick notice the dress. He clasped his paws up to his muzzle."Oh my gosh! Spots honey! You look so beautiful!"

Spots smiled. She was a bit embarrassed. She looked away with her ears beet red. "Yeah. It's a pretty cool dress. Grandma said I could have it. Are you...are you crying?"

Nick couldn't help it. He never saw her looking like a lady before. "No!... _SNIFF!_...Okay, maybe a little. You just look so wonderful! I gotta get some pictures!" He whipped out his camera and started taking pictures with her in the dress.

"That's a good idea!" Bobby said. "We should all get picture of the new family before you guys leave."

Judy looked over at Nick. "Whatever happened to 'don't let them see that they get to you'?"

"It doesn't count towards loved ones, fluff."

They all took some pictures together. Nick made sure to get some of just him, Spots in her new dress and his mother together. Some with Nick's family, some with Judy and Michael, one with them all together.

It was time to leave. Spots had gotten out of her dress and back into her old clothes. Nick was hugging Cotton and Petey goodbye. They were sniffling a little bit.

"A-Are you gonna come back tomorrow?" Cotton asked.

"Maybe. I gotta find a place first. I'll try my best to though. Petey, you watch out for your big sister, okay?"

"O-Okay!" Petey said. He hugged Nick tight abd wept a little. "Thank you for _TWING!_ putting up wiff me! My mommy hated my thwearing! Thee... _SNIFF!_..Thee was so mean!"

"I'm sorry Petey!" Nick said sniffling. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you when you said how mean your mother was and...and I'm sorry I distanced myself from you. It just made it easier when I had to give you up, but I'm glad I didn't have to! I'm so happy to have you as my son!"

"Are you ready to go honey?" Judy asked Michael.

"Bobby said they're going to the toy store tomorrow. Can I stay here with them? I promise I won't hit Petey again!"

"Oh!..." Judy looked over at Vivian. She nodded that it was okay. "Well...I start back to work tomorrow and I need to get ready for you to settle in, so...I guess that would be the best for now! Yes, that's a good idea."

She knelt down and rubbed his shoulder. "I promise, things will get better. I'll come here straight after work and see you! We can continue learning braille, okay?"

"Okay." He said in an uninterested tone. "Where's Cotton?"

"Over here!" Cotton shouted. Petey left his mother and walked over to her. He always showed Cotton more love than he ever did Judy. It hurt her inside.

They all hugged and said their farewells. Vivian promised to spoil the hell out of the trio of grandchildren tomorrow. Nick, Judy and Spots got in the limo and left.

Vivian and the others went back to the living room. "Okay now! Petey and Mike, you'll sleep in Nick's old room. No fighting! Cotton you'll sleep with me in my room."

"I have a funny feeling I'll be sleeping on the couch. " Bobby replied.

Vivian gave a mean smirk. "Ooooh yes! For the whole week!"

 **Monday Evening 9:52pm**

Nick, Judy and Spots were all in the back of the limo. Judy had her arms wrapped around her knees. Nick has never seen her more depressed.

"Hey Carrots. I umm...was thinking we'd stop at a fast food joint real quick on the way home. I hope I'm at least sleeping on the floor tonight and not with a park bench hobo."

She didn't reply. Spots tried to say something.

"Y'know Miss H, he's just taking time to adjust to his new life. It's gonna be really tough on him."

Judy wept on her knees. "He said he hated me! M-My son doesn't love me!" She started to sob.

Nick wanted to comfort her, but he knew she didn't want him near her right now. He motioned Spots to go over to her. Spots sat beside her and caressed Judy's head on her chest. "He knows everything you did for him I'm sure. Look...when you get all ready to take him, I'll watch him during the day, okay? I probably won't be able to start school until after Christmas anyway."

" _SNIFF!_ Okay." Judy replied.

After a quick meal (including feeding the driver and giving him a big tip), they got back to Nick and Judy's one room apartment. Judy slept in her bed, spots slept on the couch and Nick slept on the floor. They were beat, tired and in bad shape, but they believed in what Spots said. Things would get better.


	33. Chapter 33: The End That Started At The

Chapter 33: The End That Started At The Beginning

 **A/N I have enough room to get everything on to one final chapter, so I'm just gonna go with that.**

 **Tuesday Morning, October 27, 11:05am**

Chief Bogo sat back in his chair. Dumbfounded. "What horror. That was quite a long tale."

"32 Chapters!" Nick replied.

"Listen Wilde, you don't make another fourth wall joke and I'll ignore all the plotholes in this story."

"Deal. So...about me and Judy?"

"Granted. You're no longer partners. It's obvious I can't have you two together right now, you'll just get on each others nerves. As far as letting her go?...No."

"But sir!"

"No buts! She's a damn good cop who made a mistake while in a state of terror and anger! But don't worry, she's gonna hear it from me! Now..." Bogo stood up. "As far as you go..."

"Me?" Nick pointed to himself.

"She's right, you are soft! What the hell were you thinking letting a serial child killer go?!"

"I had no choice! I was injured, no ammo and no backup! He had his children with him! This whole, stupid thing with the dam left him with no choices!"

"Oh bull! You had one round left! You and that Tom fellow could have arrested him!"

"One wrong shot and We'd all have been dead! I kill him and then what happens to his eyas? They come back years later for revenge! I didn't even have my badge at the time! I'm sorry sir, but I think I made the right call!"

Bogo sat back in his chair and sighed. "Perhaps. That Tom would have been a citizen put in jeopardy. Still, I don't like that one of them is running free."

"The other two are dead at least."

"Aye. Look, you're still a bit beat up. Take two days off and come back here. I have an assignment for you. I still can't believe she shot that hawk point blank in the head. He must have really messed her up. Still, an officer should not kill unless it's a last resort. Speaking of killing, that's your next assignment."

"What?"

"This room may be bugged. Here."

The chief gave Nick a Monopoly card. It said "Do not pass go. Go directly to jail."

"You mean?..."

Bogo shook his head yes.

"Great...Just great."

"You're dismissed." Bogo said. As Nick left the office, he passed by Judy who was going to the office.

"Judy."

"Nick."

"So...did you get an evaluation?"

"Yes. I told them I'm fine, but the psychiatrist said I needed therapy. Thanks a lot!" She said with a growl.

"You're welcome!" Nick said back with a smile. "Nothing wrong with therapy. I'm taking Spots to see one about her anger issues tomorrow. Today, she wants to spar in our gym. I should be resting, but I think this will be good for her to let loose."

"Good luck!" Judy said. "Hope you get your ass kicked! Make sure you're fully out of the apartment when I get off work."

"Will do!" Nick said with a phony salute. Judy walked away to Bogo's office.

"Roach." Nick said under his breath. He then went over to Spots who was helping Clawhauser move his stuff.

"What's up Ben? Making more room for donuts?"

"I wish!" The fat cheetah said. "Melvin is taking my place as the new dispatch. I'm getting reassigned!"

"WHAT?! Where to?"

 **Meanwhile...**

"I DON'T CARE IF IT'S THE VERY DEVIL HIMSELF! YOU DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES FIRE ON A DETAINED CRIMINAL!" Bogo was chewing out Judy but good.

"I-I-I'm sorry sir! But I wasn't in the right frame of mind! He was psychotic! He almost killed my son! I was never more scared or angry in my entire life!"

Bogo calmed down turned his back from Judy. " _SIGH!_...When I was a young officer about your age, firearms were still legal. Citizens could own them and police used them as well. Nowadays, it takes special permits to own one and only certain states allow it. That's why your father can own one for protecting his farm. Anyway, I was only on my second year on the force. We heard about a vicious cougar who shot a civilian run into a building. The power was out and...I SWEAR he ran into that room!"

Judy looked concerned. "...Sir?"

"I chased after the perp, gun in hand. It was so dark, I could only make out shadows. I...I saw an image of someone holding an object that went out in a long shape past their paws. I quickly reacted and shot him right in the head!"

Bogo put his hooves on his forehead. "It was a tiger. A young tiger no more than fifteen years old. He...he was holding a hotbug. I mistook it for a gun."

Judy put her paws to her mouth. "My God!...Chief!"

"That was the twentieth ZPD gun incident in two years. There were riots. I was lucky to keep my job. That horrible incident helped pass the bill that got guns banned from even the police force. The first few years after were harrowing, but now criminals need to make their own handmade guns if they want to try anything. That's why we only use dart guns. Mistakes happen Judy. That's why I'm not firing you. But please remember, we cannot CANNOT let our emotions get the best of us! As officers, it's our duty to make sure deadly force is the absolute last resort! Otherwise, we are no better than the criminals we catch. Do I make myself clear?!"

"Yes sir! I promise that will never happen again!"

"Good! You and Wilde got your wish. You are being assigned new partners. You'll meet your new one in about, oh...ten minutes. You'll be getting some rust off a slightly older officer who's been at a desk job for too long. We'll need every able body on the force for this possible 'purge' incident!"

"Great! I could do with some work to take my mind off of everything happening. Who's my new partner?"

Bogo gave Judy a smirk. "Benjamin Clawhauser."

THE END

TO BE CONTINUED IN "ANGER MANAGEMENT/CHEETAH ON PATROL"

EPILOGUE: Halloween Fun

 **A/N: I retconned Rose's long, crimson hair to be a wig. It only made sense since bunnies can't grow hair like that.**

 **Saturday, October 31st, 8:45pm**

It was all hallows eve. A small group of bunnies dressed in different costumes came to the door of the Hopps household. Each had a big bucket of candy with them. The porch was covered in fake bloodstains and cobwebs. It made for a very spooky scene.

A little bunny girl dressed as Tinkercowbell was shivering with fright. "M-Maybe no one's home!"

A bunny boy dressed as Captain Americat wasn't impressed. "Aah don't worry! They're just trying to scare you! Watch!"

The bunny knocked on the door. "Trick or Treat!" The bunnies shouted together.

The door slowly opened. Bean rolled out of the door. His stumps covered in fake blood.

"RUN! The witch is here! She ate my limbs and she'll eat you too!"

The bunny girl screamed. She dropped her bucket and took off running.

"You don't scare me!" Said the boy. "You're just hiding your limbs under a costume! It's all a trick!"

"Oh no!" Shouted Bean. "It's her!"

Rose stepped around Bean. Her mask was on and her crimson wig flowed behind her with a fall breeze.

"What's this? Another bunny for me to devour?"

Captain Americat wasn't impressed. "Oh please, you're just wearing a stupid mask!"

"You're so right!" Rose yanked her mask off and showed her mangled and scarred face at the boy. She stuck her tongue through a huge tear on her lip and screamed.

"RRRAAAAAAHHHHH!"

"EEEEEEE!" The boy screamed his lungs out. He dropped his bucket of candy and ran away as fast as possible.

"SCORE!" Rose and Bean cheered together. The two were a frightening duo. Rose went to pick up all the candy.

"What at haul!" She said as she picked up the fallen treats. "We got ten buckets of candy and we never had to leave the house!" Bean watched with a view from the ground.

"Watch out for that puddle! Oh, and that those brown drops leading away from the house aren't chocolate!"

Moments later, they sat on the couch, surrounded by buckets and bags of candy.

"Best Halloween ever!" Said Rose.

"Yeah!" Bean replied. "High two!" They slapped their ears together. "Can you feed me some candy big sis?" He only called her "Big sis" when he wanted something.

"Okay...But don't bite my fingers this time!"

"Sorry! I got big incisors!"

Just then, they heard yelling from their father, Gideon. "That's enough scarin' you two! Ah'm getting' complaints from the neighbors! Kids 'er comin' home with more poop in their britches than candy in their bags!"

"Sorry papa!" They both said together, then quietly giggled to themselves.

Bean nestled up to Rose. They sat together with their cousins and siblings watching spooky movies on T.V. and eating candy.

"I love you Rose."

"I love you too Bean."

 **AFTER STORY NOTES**

 **Believe it or not, this started out as a comedy. My initial draft of the story (in my head) had no hawks or bunnies being killed. I saw so many stories about Nick's first visit to Bunnyburrow and trying to impress Stu and all the hatred towards him. I thought "what if it was in reverse"? What if Stu absolutely loved Nick and wanted him to stay, only it was driving him nuts? A lot of that is still in the story, especially the early parts. Originally Stu wanted Nick to be in the family because he made a big business grow around Gideon's pies, so he thought foxes were really good at business.**

 **Then, I read a Cracked article "The Sexy Reason Why The Society In Zootopia Is Doomed" It basically revolved around Bunnyburrow's population growing out of control. I thought that might make for a good environmental message not only about overpopulation, but over-consumption and a need to treat the environment with more respect. The hawks were like Godzilla, in that they were the aftermath of what what happens when you screw with the environment. My main idea for the hawks was "there HAS to be some predators out there that still partake in eating sentient prey!" Also Red Tail Hawks have been known to attack foxes. The hawks feasting on bunnies may seem horrifying, but in reality, it served a purpose. It helped keep the population down. However, I didn't want them to just seem like savages, so that's why Zeke was only doing it out of necessity even though Skinner got his sick kicks out of it. Calhoun I added at the last moment for extra tension and drama.**

 **Honestly? I don't think I pulled it off as good as I'd hoped. The story was bigger than my current skills were up to. I think I needed more examples of the overpopulation impacting their lives and what was there was done with humor, which really only lessened the moral (see the market scene or the deleted movie scene down below). Also, while I wanted the first chapter to really pull people in, I really, REALLY should not have started with part of the ending at the beginning. It forced me to keep certain narrative pieces in place the whole time instead of letting the story find it's own flow. I couldn't let Nick and Judy forgive each other and move on and Judy ended up much meaner than I intended. I had her son hating her to give her sympathy.**

 **As far as what I was happy with, I really enjoyed writing both Gideon and Bonnie. I love writing accents, so Gideon was fun. Plus, it was fun giving him two sides. This soft, loving side and his angry "bully returns" side with super strength. Bonnie was a surprise. As the story continued on, she became a more strong, independent woman, but still had her motherly side. It kinda shows that she fueled Judy's independent determination without really knowing it.**

 **I didn't realize it at the time, but I screwed up and used two unrelated foxes with the last name, Redtail. I'm surprised I messed up like that. One happy accident is that I didn't realize "Tom" was the common name for a male fox. I did know that about hares when naming Jack and Jill.**

DELETED SCENE: JUDY AND BONNIE WATCH A PORNO

 **A/N I think the title says it all as far as warnings go. It's got a bit of lemon in it, but for the sake of comedy. Originally, this scene happened after the market scene just to show another one of the problems with overpopulation. They had a hard time getting into any movie and the one available wasn't what they expected. I decided to cut it out because it was a bit too much and the message of overpopulation was done with the market scene.**

Judy, Bonnie and Julie arrived at the _Amami Multiplex._ A large theater in the heart of Bunny Burrow. What used to be a two room theater had expanded to over 50 screens. Over the last two years, they had purchased up the nearby businesses to expand and meet the great demand. Even then, it still wasn't enough. There was a wide selection of movies and nearly everything was sold out. Julie looked up the different shows while Judy and Bonnie had a chat.

Julie had a hard time finding anything. " 'Suicide Squid'? Sold out. 'Nine Wives'? Not until 9pm."

"Can you see okay now mom?" Judy asked. She was concerned after being forced to mace her own mother after she went crazy over carrots. She wasn't sure how strong the anti-fox spray was.

"I can see fine." Bonnie sighed. "It still burns though. Judy, you should now Anti-Fox spray is strong stuff! I haven't stopped tearing since we left the store!"

Julie kept looking up shows. " 'The Secret Life of Bugs?' Sold out. 'The Big, Friendly Giraffe'? Not until 10pm. 'Civil Warthog'? Sold out too."

Judy wrapped her arm around her mother. "I'm sorry mommy. Please forgive me?"

Bonnie couldn't put up a fight any longer and hugged her daughter. "Oh, you KNOW I can't get mad when you call me 'mommy'!"

Julie finally found one. "OH here's one! 'Love in Season'. It's not sold out and starting in ten minutes!"

"Great" Said Bonnie, dripping with sarcasm. "A romance to ENCOURAGE you to stay with your fox boyfriends."

The girls were happy as went to the ticket counter. "Three for 'Love in season'."

The hare at the counter looked at them with curiosity. "You KNOW...this ain't exactly a family picture, right?"

Bonnie didn't care. "Oh, so it has some naughty language. I don't mind!"

The hare shrugged his shoulders and printed up the tickets. "No refunds five minutes after the picture starts. Enjoy!"

The trio of lady bunnies entered the theater. They were surprised at just how filthy the room was.

"These floors are so sticky!" Judy commented. "And there's popcorn buckets littered everywhere! Someone should fire the janitor."

They found seats near the front. The lights dimmed and the movie started.

A lady rabbit in a very revealing gown was reading a book. There was a knock on the door. She walked up to the door and opened it wide. There, was a broad-shouldered hare with a pizza box.

"What's this?" The lady rabbit asked. "There's barely any bug meat!"

"Oh, I got yer 'meat' right here!" The hare proceeded to unzip his fly.

To her horror, Judy realized what was happening. The mating onscreen was incredibly rough. She turned around to see all of the bunnies in the theater with turned over popcorn buckets that were shaking up and down furiously.

"Oh my God! I'm watching a porno with my own mother!"

Embarrassed, she shielded her eyes from what was happening onscreen and pulled at her mother's hand motioning her to leave.

"Where are you going?" Bonnie asked.

"MOM!" Judy shouted. "This...this is NOT the kind of movie we thought it was!"

"Well I payed my $12.50 and I'm not leaving. Now sit down, you can probably learn a thing or two!"

Judy knew her mother was open about mating, but this was ridiculous.

"I used to do that position with your father." Bonnie said. "But I lost my dexterity in my old age."

"Mom. PLEASE stop talking!"

As she was watching, A moose entered the room on screen.

"No way!" Said Julie. "He's not gonna..."

"Well he's taking off his pants, so I think he's gonna go for it." Bonnie replied.

"Woah!" Judy said "They certainly need a wide screen picture for that!"

"There's no way it's gonna fit." Julie remarked.

"Five bucks says it does." Bonnie replied. The bet was on.

"..."

"..."

"OH MY GOD! I just lost five bucks!" Julie yelled.

"It's like she's made of rubber!" Judy replied.

Just then, they heard a voice from the back. "Will you three pipe down?! I'm trying to masturbate!"

Bonnie turned around to yell at the man, then realized who it was.

"...Jerry?"

"...Mom?! OH DEAR GOD!" The bunny ran out the theater with his pants around his ankles.

"My Jerry, how you've grown!" Judy joked. The girls all laughed.

Judy had enough. "Can we PLEASE leave now?" she begged her mother. She agreed and they all left.

 **Story Schedule (Subject to Change)**

 **OCTOBER**

 **Anger Management / Cheetah on Patrol**

 **An epilogue to "Sacrifices" taking place immediately after. When Spots goes into another rage fit, she hurts and humiliates Nick. Nick has to get to the bottom of her past in order for this to stop happening or he may be forced to disown her. Meanwhile, Judy is trying out her new ride with her new partner Clawhauser, but sadly the fat cat is out of shape. What caused him to get this way? Find out when you discover the origins of both Spots and Clawhauser in this more lighthearted tale. (Rated T. No little bunnies murdered. I promise.)**

 **NOVEMBER**

 **Operation: Santa Paws**

 **An early tale long before the events leading up to the Big Cheese Saga. Nick is on a short Christmas vacation from training in the police academy. When he finds out that Khan Industries is running a crooked charity toy drive, he decides to become like his great ancestor Robin Hood and rob from the rich to give to the poor. But will, Judy, an honest cop join him in the biggest Christmas heist ever? (Rated K+ or T)**

 **DECEMBER**

 **A Fox in the Jailhouse**

 **Nick is arrested by Judy for murder. However, what Judy doesn't know is that he's been sent undercover by Bogo to find out more information on the Big Cheese. Will Nick survive his encounters with both Dawn Bellwether, the redneck fox Jake and his worst enemy Rusev? Also, Nick discovers the truth behind his father's death. (Rated T or M)**

 **JANUARY**

 **Bats in the Belfry**

 **Nick's adventure in the jailhouse ends up with a big lead, but Bogo needs the talents of both Judy and Nick together. Will they finally put aside their differences and work together as a team again? (Rated M for violence (mostly on poor Nick) and suggestive scenes)**

 **FEBRUARY/MARCH**

 **Big Cheese Revealed/The Purge**

 **This is it! The big climax where lives are put on the line. The biggest jailbreak in Zootopia history occurs! Can Nick and Judy stop the Big Cheese's plans before the entire city goes into chaos?! (Probably Rated M)**

 **APRIL**

 **The Wedding Hangover**

 **Nick and Judy go to Gideon's big wedding wing-ding only to find Gideon and Julie aren't the only one's getting wed. Stu's got his rifle ready and several of Judy's sisters and a certain fox's mother all end up hitched. What's crazier is what happens the next day when Nick and Judy wake up with huge headaches and rings on their fingers! It's marriage mania! (Rated T)**


End file.
